Laurent Blanc
Laurent Blanc will not be dismissed from his position as national team coach for his role in the racism row that has engulfed French football.
Along with other figures in the international set-up, Blanc was under investigation after news broke that he had allegedly discussed with other officials plans for a quota, designed to limit the number of dual-nationals in youth training centres.
A commission examined the tactician's role in the affair and reached the conclusion that there is no need to punish the former defender for his remarks.
The report on Blanc states: "Some of the things said are unacceptable, but they are not racist comments. However, the talk about the race quotas can be labelled discriminatory because they deal with the ethnic origins of the players."
Investigators found that a system to limit the amount of players of foreign origins was discussed during the meeting of the French Football Federation (FFF), but did not find any evidence that such a system was effectively installed.
France's minister of sports, Chantal Jouanno, admitted that dual nationality is a serious issue, but made it clear that racial quotas are not the answer to the problem.
Jouanno said: "The debate about the racial quotas has touched the boundaries of racism. The dual nationality problem is a real issue, but this is not the solution to the problem. Introducing quotas might not be racist, but they contradict the values this sport goes by."
It is not yet clear whether the outcome of the investigation will have any consequences for the position of technical director Francois Blaquart, who also took part in the discussions.
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