[5][6] He openly wept during the group photo before France faced Turkey in a 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final match, which had taken place just hours after the shocking death of his close friend and former Lyon teammate Marc-Vivien Foé.

[7] Coupet credits the aftermath of Foé's death in helping him gain a new perspective on life, in the process settling his differences with Lyon after having been engaged in a contract dispute for most of the 2002–03 season, which included at one point his vowing never to play for the club again.

[8] On 2 August 2007, Coupet suffered a torn internal medial ligament in his left knee after catching his foot in the net during a training session.

He later joked on Lyon's official television network: "The good side...is that [France] have a rugby World Cup coming and I’ll be able to enjoy every bit of it.

In the 2011 Coupe de France Final against Lille OSC he saved a penalty from Mathieu Debuchy, but was unable to prevent his side from losing 1–0.

During a commemoration for the late Cameroon player Marc-Vivien Foé, Coupet broke down in tears, since they both were teammates while playing for Lyon in the French league.

During the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Hugo Lloris and Steve Mandanda were favored by Domenech for the goalkeeping job, with Coupet called up as a reserve for a few games.

Coupet was not selected to France's final World Cup squad, as Cédric Carrasso instead was chosen to join Lloris and Mandanda on the roster.

On 1 July 2010, Coupet announced his retirement from international football, saying, "I will be 39 years old when Euro 2012 commences, and I can't see myself being included in another squad for France, with Hugo Lloris and Steve Mandanda favoured over me.