Racism in french football ?

AdminAdmin 240 Points
edited May 2011 in Asian Football Forum
French football official admits blowing whistle in race row

The crisis over French football chiefs' alleged plan to keep non-white players out of the national squad has escalated after a senior official admitted blowing the whistle and secretly recording a meeting about race.

French sport has been shaken by claims that football bosses wanted to limit the number of young black players and those of north African origin emerging as candidates for the national team. The secret plan for ethnic quotas allegedly involved limiting non-white youngsters entering the selection process through training centres as early as age 12 or 13. The investigative website Mediapart ran extracts from a transcript of a meeting last year where football bosses wanted to set a cap of 30% on players of certain origins. The site concluded that officials felt there were "too many blacks and Arabs" in French football and not enough whites.

The scandal has revealed a deep malaise over race in football and the notion that "Les Bleus", despite the multiracial 1998 World Cup winning team, are not patriotic enough unless they have white skin.

Two investigations are under way by the French Football Federation and the government, which expects to announce its findings on Monday. Meanwhile, the national technical director of the federation, Francois Blaquart, has been suspended.

Mohammed Belkacemi, a respected official responsible for liaising with young players in suburbs and highrise estates, on Wednesday admitted he was the whistleblower who had recorded the controversial meeting in November 2010 where race quotas were discussed. It is believed he gave the tape to other officials rather than directly to the media.

The French national coach Laurent Blanc first flatly denied any discussion about quotas, then apologised for any offence about "certain terms" he used.

The recordings show officials were debating French players with dual-nationality who could train in France but leave to play for other teams. Several officials suggested limiting these players. Blanc reportedly talks about black players' morphology. He says of the training centres, which produced French champions such as Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka: "You have the impression that they really train the same prototype of players, big, strong, powerful … What is there that is currently big, strong, powerful? The blacks." He said other criteria should be used to bring in players "with our culture, our history".

The scandal comes after the French team's mutiny at the World Cup last summer was privately blamed by some on black or Muslim players, suggesting the team had fragmented because there was not enough "national identity".

The French sports minister, Chantal Jouanno, on Wednesday told French radio ethnic quotas would be illegal. She said training centres should teach national players how to "respect their team shirt".

Black French sportsmen expressed their disgust at alleged ethnic quotas. Yannick Noah, the French tennis player-turned pop star, said: "I've always thought these things existed, in clubs, leagues and in the federation. Now we need to tell the truth and have a real debate."

Lilian Thuram, the former World Cup defender, scorned the notion black players might not be patriotic enough. "I'm black, well dark brown to be precise, and I feel perfectly French. But I didn't know that skin pigmentation was what makes one feel French. Does that mean every white person, even Swedish, feels French?"


<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/04/french-football-official-race-row">http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/ma ... l-race-row</a><!-- m -->

Comments

  • ashindiaashindia 9248 Points
    Definitely French Team recently has lost all the respect,but Blanc shouldn't have gone that far. <!-- s:shock: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_eek.gif" alt=":shock:" title="Shocked" /><!-- s:shock: -->

    Actually it all started cause of Joker Domenech. <!-- s:twisted: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_twisted.gif" alt=":twisted:" title="Twisted Evil" /><!-- s:twisted: -->
  • AdminAdmin 240 Points
    Patrick Vieira calls for Laurent Blanc to step down on eve of report into France football race row

    Patrick Vieira has said that his former France team-mate, Laurent Blanc, should resign as national coach after allegations that he was involved in discussions to impose quotas on players with foreign roots.

    Full article - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/france/8496078/Patrick-Vieira-calls-for-Laurent-Blanc-to-step-down-on-eve-of-report-into-France-football-race-row.html">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footba ... e-row.html</a><!-- m -->
  • rudrarudra 2958 Points
    Laurent Blanc Resigns As France Coach

    Laurent Blanc has reportedly quit his post as the coach of France due to the building media pressure surrounding race quotas in the French game, and will confirm this in a press conference on Monday.

    It has been reported in regional daily newspaper Ouest-France that due to the controversy and despite the French Football Federation being keen to keep him, the ex-Manchester United and Marseille defender has resigned with immediate effect.

    The report also stated that Nicolas Sarkozy is set to call the 45 year old in a bid to get him to reconsider and remain in the international hotseat, quoting a anoynomous Government source.

    Les Bleus have been shrowded in controversy since investigative website Mediapart claimed that the senior side, along with their under 21 and under 20 equivalents were being urged to cap the amount of dual nationality, black or Arab players in the set-ups to under 30 per cent.

    The ex-Bordeaux coach has done much to try and rebuild the national team after a poor performance in the 2010 World Cup, and is a fans favorite as he won the World Cup with the side in 1998.

    <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/572/internationals/2011/05/07/2475281/laurent-blanc-resigns-as-france-coach-report">http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/572/i ... ach-report</a><!-- m -->
  • AdminAdmin 240 Points
    Blanc cleared in racism row

    France coach Laurent Blanc has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the racism row that has shaken French football.

    The nation's Sports Ministry has investigated the controversy surrounding the possibility of introducing quotas for dual-nationality, ethnic minority players in the youth ranks.

    It has been claimed that plans were made at a meeting in November to limit the numbers of black and Arab players entering national training centres and academies at the age of 12.

    Blanc was present along with French Football Federation technical director Francois Blaquart, Under-21 coach Erick Mombaerts and Under-20 coach Francis Smerecki.

    But sports minister Chantal Jouanno said on Tuesday that the senior team coach had not proposed such plans.

    "Laurent Blanc was present for the first time at this type of meeting," she said. "He wasn't organiser or pilot. He discovered the debate about quotas.

    Read more here - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,,12025_6924852,00.html">http://www.skysports.com/story/0,,12025_6924852,00.html</a><!-- m -->
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