French still as dodgy as ever. (Race row brewing).

[Parky]

"Patrick Vieira has said he is shocked at reports that the France coach Laurent Blanc and other officials discussed introducing quotas to limit the number of non-white players in the national team set-up.

 

The French website Mediapart alleged last week that plans to restrict the numbers of black players and those of north African origin entering national training centres at the age of 12 were discussed at a meeting in November between Blanc, the French Football Federation technical director François Blaquart, the Under-21 coach Erick Mombaerts and the Under-20 coach Francis Smerecki.

 

Blanc strongly denied the story on Friday, telling L'Equipe: "This project does not exist. All that, for me, is false."

 

Blaquart was suspended from his post on Saturday, pending the outcome of investigations by the FFF which began this week.

 

The Manchester City midfielder Vieira told Le Monde: "This story is scandalous. I'm shocked. I would never have imagined that the football chiefs in our country could have such conversations about the France team in the body of the federation. Never. I know Laurent Blanc, I've always had a good relationship with him. I don't believe he's racist, but I'm surprised as to the degree of his comments.

 

"When I read that he has said, 'The Spaniards, they don't have a problem because they don't have any blacks' or 'What is there that is big, strong, powerful? The blacks', it's scandalous. These are serious comments. People can tell me what they want, but no one was trapped during this meeting. No one was forced anyone to say these comments and still they said them. It's a fact, that's shocking."

 

Vieira, who was born in Senegal and moved to France as a child, questioned the decision to single out Blaquart, who denies any wrongdoing, for a suspension.

 

"It's difficult to suspend just one person when others had the same type of discussion," he said. "It would have been more logical to suspend everyone who, like him, said the same things. It's not up to me to say who should go, but I would not have been able to understand how these directors, who were at the meeting, could stay in their jobs.

 

"If these people stay, then that's the door open to all discriminations. If football really wants to fight against this scourge, if the FFF want to show that they have the values of the Republic, then there are strong decisions that must be made. They shouldn't forget that they are the elite of football. It's they who will design the French football of tomorrow. It's they who are supposed to defend community harmony."

 

Not sure how true this is, but surely has to go if it comes out. This is like racism and shit man.

[ponsaelius]

You'd think the 98 World Cup would have put an end to anything like this.

[Parky]

You'd think the 98 World Cup would have put an end to anything like this.

 

Pack of fukin racists innit.

[Sifu]

I wouldn't be too surprised if it's true. Racial discrimination has been somewhat of a problem in France over the years. This is a country where some people, about 10 years ago, voted for Jean Marie Le Pen in the first round of presidential elections.

 

It's all about French "national identity".

[Parky]

I wouldn't be too surprised if it's true. Racial discrimination has been somewhat of a problem in France over the years. This is a country where some people, about 10 years ago, voted for Jean Marie Le Pen in the first round of presidential elections.

 

It's all about French "national identity".

 

Yet they love all the free EU money for their fat pig farmers and cheese snufflers.

 

 

[Village Idiot]

We don't have black players because Spanish black population was very low until recently. We didn't really get immigration from Africa until the mid 90s, and we should start seeing the first black Spanish internationals towards the end of the decade. The likes of Senna, Catanha or Donato don't really count as they were Brazilians that took Spanish citizenship late in their careers.

 

A bit sad to see this, always thought the 1998-2006 French team was a wonderful testimony to France's melting pot. Zidane born in Argelia, Vieira born in Senegal, Thuram from the Caribbean, etc...

[Parky]

We don't have black players because Spanish black population was very low until recently. We didn't really get immigration from Africa until the mid 90s, and we should start seeing the first black Spanish internationals towards the end of the decade. The likes of Senna, Catanha or Donato don't really count as they were Brazilians that took Spanish citizenship late in their careers.

 

A bit sad to see this, always thought the 1998-2006 French team was a wonderful testimony to France's melting pot.

 

Anyones in particular come to mind that might progress?

[ponsaelius]

We don't have black players because Spanish black population was very low until recently. We didn't really get immigration from Africa until the mid 90s, and we should start seeing the first black Spanish internationals towards the end of the decade. The likes of Senna, Catanha or Donato don't really count as they were Brazilians that took Spanish citizenship late in their careers.

 

A bit sad to see this, always thought the 1998-2006 French team was a wonderful testimony to France's melting pot. Zidane born in Argelia, Vieira born in Senegal, Thuram from the Caribbean, etc...

 

Vicente Engonga?

[Village Idiot]

We don't have black players because Spanish black population was very low until recently. We didn't really get immigration from Africa until the mid 90s, and we should start seeing the first black Spanish internationals towards the end of the decade. The likes of Senna, Catanha or Donato don't really count as they were Brazilians that took Spanish citizenship late in their careers.

 

A bit sad to see this, always thought the 1998-2006 French team was a wonderful testimony to France's melting pot.

 

Anyones in particular come to mind that might progress?

 

Well, there's Thiago. But he's a bit of an odd one since he was born to a Brazilian footballer that was playing in Spain at the time. Barça and Madrid academies have quite a few black kids on the 15 year old range and down, but it's still a bit soon to tell which one will make it. It will be refreshing when it happens.

[Village Idiot]

We don't have black players because Spanish black population was very low until recently. We didn't really get immigration from Africa until the mid 90s, and we should start seeing the first black Spanish internationals towards the end of the decade. The likes of Senna, Catanha or Donato don't really count as they were Brazilians that took Spanish citizenship late in their careers.

 

A bit sad to see this, always thought the 1998-2006 French team was a wonderful testimony to France's melting pot. Zidane born in Argelia, Vieira born in Senegal, Thuram from the Caribbean, etc...

 

Vicente Engonga?

 

Yes, I thought about him, but his stint in the Spanish NT was very unremarkable. He might have been the first black Spanish-born international footballer.

[Dinho lad]

France would never have won their only World Cup without their ethnic miniorities. Twats.

[Sifu]

Blanc cleared:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13345266

 

French national football coach Laurent Blanc has been cleared by the country's sports minister of race discrimination.

 

Chantal Jouanno said there was no evidence that Blanc had broken any laws, by discussing putting a quota on the number of black and Arab players representing French youth teams.

 

Blanc has said his comments were taken out of context.

 

He and others had been discussing how to prevent French-trained players deciding to play for other countries.

 

Ms Jouanno said the future of the national technical director, Francois Blaquart, who was suspended after the revelations, would be decided by the French Football Federation (FFF).

 

It is due to release its own findings later in the day.

 

The affair has plunged the French Football Federation (FFF) into controversy less than a year after Laurent Blanc was brought in to sort out the national team, after its embarrassing performance at last year's World Cup.

 

Investigative website Mediapart claimed that Blaquart proposed secretly limiting the proportion of black and north African players to 30% at certain regional youth training centres, including the renowned Clairefontaine facility.

 

Blanc is alleged to have agreed with the plan in order to promote players with "our culture, our history".

 

The pair, along with under-21 coach Erick Mombaerts and under-20 coach Francis Smerecki, had been holding a debate over young players with dual nationality being trained in the French national system but later deciding to play for other countries.

 

However, "there is nothing leading to say that Laurent Blanc is backing discriminatory practices", Ms Jouanno told a news conference on Tuesday.

 

"Laurent Blanc was attending this kind of meeting for the very first time. He did not have any project, no fixed opinion."

 

"There is nothing to suggest that Laurent Blanc condones discriminatory guidelines."

 

She said the coaches' discussion last November was "clumsy and clearly uncalled for".

 

But the quotas idea was only discussed and never implemented, and so there was no reason to start legal proceedings.