PARIS (AP) — The French Football Federation’s federal council gave its backing to national team coach Laurent Blanc on Thursday after a row over discrimination claims.
FFF president Fernand Duchaussoy says the federation has “renewed its entire faith in Laurent Blanc” but regrets and apologizes “for unacceptable words spoken” at a meeting between Blanc and other FFF colleagues in November.
The meeting centered around whether quotas should be introduced to curb training academy access for young French players with dual nationality, many of them black and Arab.
France’s sports minister and a separate inquiry commissioned by the FFF cleared Blanc of discrimination claims earlier this week, but reproached him for taking part in the meeting.
