Wenger: Turned down FFF (StuForster/Allsport)

French Football Federation president Claude Simonet approached the Gunners boss after the disastrous defence of the World Cup by Les Bleus.

Roger Lemerre's side, favourites to repeat their 1998 home soil success, were amazingly dumped out of the tournament in the first round - sparking Lemerre's sacking.

Simonet wasted no time in contacting Wenger, who was working in Japan as a television pundit.

But he was met with a curt 'no' from Wenger, whose Arsenal side face Liverpool in tomorrow's Community Shield at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

The national team vacancy was eventually plugged by former Lyon coach Jacques Santini.

Wenger said: 'Yes - the president of the FFF came out and said he was offering me the job, but I refused.

'I was in touch with him when I was in Japan, after what happened (with France).

'However, I never considered taking the job.'

Last season, Wenger finally ended feverish speculation over his future and Arsenal when he signed a new contract, committing himself to the north Londoners for another three years.

And after guiding his team to a glorious Premiership and FA Cup double last season, his appetite for future success at Highbury has been increased yet further.

Wenger identified his burning ambition of achieving Champions League glory as a principal reason for rejecting the offer to coach his country.

'I don't know about the future yet, but I have a contract until 2005,' he said.

'I've worked hard to put my team together and I want to be more successful with them now. What do you think we'll do - let Manchester United win now because they're angry?

'It's not like we've won the double and think `okay, now let's take it easy'. It's `let's work harder than last year'.

'We want to be the best in Europe and I so much want to win the Champions League here, because it's never been done. But our first priority is to try and win the championship, so it's a very ambitious programme.

'We haven't been far away from winning the Champions League when we were knocked out by Valencia and Bayer Leverkusen. Now we have to add what we have been hitting in previous years.

'You can never have enough of winning - and that's what keeps me going. I like to win and I'm just sick when I don't.'

Wenger's side kick off their 2002-03 campaign tomorrow without last season's injured star pair Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg.

Pires is due back in training on September 1 to begin a two-month schedule to take him back to full fitness by the start of November.

Ljungberg is expected to be ready for his first-team comeback in a month.

And despite the absence of his two star men - and veteran centre-back Tony Adams, who is poised to announce his retirement - Wenger believes his Gunners can fire their way to glory again.

Citing the example of Lance Armstrong, who triumphed again in the Tour de France in Wenger's homeland last month, Wenger said: 'It's most difficult to win something once.

'Once you've done it, you know you've done it again as it's just down to you.

'I know there's a strong feeling in football that it's harder to do it again, but if you look at other sports it's not like that. In the Tour de France, the same guy's won it four times.'

Wenger also swept aside criticism of his team, stemming from this week's Football Association fine for their lack of discipline last season.

Wenger added: 'The FA fined us for the first part of last season, as we improved our record tremendously from December to May. We get some stick as well, as we're the team with the highest number of fouls against in the league.

'I once tried to find a logical explanation for it, but I came out with it and everyone thought I was stupid.

'My explanation was that the Highbury pitch is very narrow and players are closer to each other.

'We play football based on mobility, movement and technique - but if we played a more static game, there would be fewer problems.