Laurent Blanc cleared of racism

FRENCH national football coach Laurent Blanc has been cleared of racism allegations after an investigation by the Ministry of Sport.

Sport Minister Chantal Jouanno called an inquiry after news website Mediapart said it had a tape of a discussion in which Mr Blanc and other officials discussed putting in place a limit on ethnic minority players in training academies for young players.

Mrs Jouanno said that, although ways of limiting people of mixed nationality were discussed, the proceedings fell short of anything that could lead to legal prosecution. The matter will therefore be dealt with internally, by the French Football Federation (FFF), which is holding a special committee meeting on the matter tomorrow.

Nonetheless, she said, “things were said that were clumsy and clearly inappropriate, bordering on racism.”

Blanc was not to blame, however, she said. “He didn’t express any opinion on the matter, unlike those who had organised the meeting. He just allowed himself to be dragged into a discussion which did not concern him.”

Mrs Jouanno did however criticise François Blaquart, the FFF’s national technical director (DTN, concerned with training strategies in French football), who called the meeting.

“This debate does not at all come up to the exemplary standards that we are entitled to expect from a DTN,” she said.

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