The bitter rift between Aime Jacquet and France's top sports daily, L'Equipe, deepened further yesterday with the paper accusing the French national coach of choosing "hatred" over "forgiveness".

L'Equipe editor Jerome Bureau has been a stinging thorn in Jacquet's side ever since his appointment as the national selector in 1993.

In a personal letter addressed to Jacquet and carried in yesterday's edition, Bureau conceded that France's thrilling World Cup defeat of Brazil had rendered his criticism obsolete.

But on the day that President Jacques Chirac handed France's highest civilian accolade, the Legion of Honour, to Jacquet, Bureau went on to accuse him of lynching "those who don't think like you".

Bureau wrote: "For much of the country everything you say from now on will be regarded as the word of the gospel. It is a sad gospel that advocates the lynching of those who don't think like you."

Jacquet, tackled on Sunday night after his team's 3-0 drumming of Brazil about his treatment by what is effectively a national institution, retorted: "I'll never forgive them".

L'Equipe's opposition to Jacquet centred on what they maintained was his negative, over-defensive style, however in the wake of the manager's finest hour, Bureau revealed he had tendered his resignation, which had been refused. Any prospect of a rapprochement looks out of the question, but there is no doubt which corner has emerged as the moral and literal winner of the affair - namely the silver-haired 56-year-old feted at the Elysee Palace yesterday.

Meanwhile, Monaco coach Jean Tigana has denied that he was set to take over from Jacquet as national coach.

Tigana said he had promised his club he would stay with them. He added that he thought the job would go to Roger Lemerre, the ex-Lens coach who currently holds a top coaching position on Jacquet's national staff.

Jacquet had already made it clear that he would stand down after four-and-a-half years in the job. French football federation president Claude Simonet said that Jacquet's successor would probably be named on Friday.