PARIS: French football was plunged into turmoil again when the national federation's (FFF) technical director Francois Blaquart was suspended on Saturday amid a row over an alleged project to enforce racial quotas in youth academies.

Less than a year after the World Cup fiasco, France coach Laurent Blanc, who took over from Raymond Domenech after the embarrassing South Africa episode, was also caught up in the controversy.

“Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno and FFF president Fernand Duchaussoy have decided to suspend immediately national technical director Francois Blaquart pending the conclusions of an investigation led by the FFF and the IGJS (General Inspection of Youth and Sports),” Jouanno said in a statement.

The statement said the investigation was expected to be completed within eight days.

“I will apply myself to clarify this situation and write a report that will put the ministry and the federation in front of their responsibilities,” Patrick Braouezec, who will head the FFF investigation, told Reuters.

Blanc, who on Friday denied he was in favour of quotas in youth academies, on Saturday said he apologised if he had hurt anybody's feelings.

“I do not withdraw what I said yesterday,” he said in a statement.

“I admit that some remarks made during a work meeting...,taken out of their context, may be misinterpreted and, as far as I am concerned, I apologise if I have hurt some feelings.

“But I, who am against any form of discrimination, do not stand being accused of racism or xenophobia.”

Blanc, who won the 1998 World Cup with a team dubbed 'Black-Blanc-Beur' (Blacks, Whites and Arabs) by French media, has often raised the issue of dual nationality players.

He said there was nothing more to the meeting that took place last November.

“One has to be insincere not to see that the debate I took part in had obviously nothing to do with 'reducing the number of blacks and Arabs in French football' as the article's headline said,” he added.

The only question was to “discuss the future of French football and deal with the delicate problem of players with dual nationality...”

VERBATIM REPORT

On Thursday, French investigative website Mediapart (www.mediapart.fr), citing sources within the FFF, said Blaquart proposed to enforce racial quotas to limit the number of players of black or Arab origin in youth academies.

On Saturday, Mediapart published a verbatim report of the meeting at which Blanc, Blaquart, under-21 coach Erick Mombaerts and under-20 coach Francis Smerecki, among others, had a debate over African players with dual nationality groomed in France eventually opting to play for their country of origin.

“We can mark out, in an unspoken way, a sort of quota. But it needs to remain unspoken,” Blaquart was quoted as saying by Mediapart.

Blaquart told RMC radio's website (www.rmc.fr) on Saturday: “I cannot not acknowledge these remarks.

“They have to be put in their context. We acknowledged the fact that there were many players with dual nationality...we had to control the management of these players who might be leaving us. There is nothing more to it.”

France team media officer Philippe Tournon told Reuters on Saturday: “It was a debate on players with dual nationality. Causes and effects are being confused here.”

On Friday, Blanc said: “No such project has been revealed to me. It's a lie. You cannot have quotas in football. It does not exist. Football is made of diversity.”

FFF president Fernand Duchaussoy on Friday also denied there were 'instructions, orders' to limit the number of black and Arab players in the youth academies.

“What happened in a meeting, behind a door or in the corridors... I cannot vouch for everyone working at the federation but I am confident (that there was no wrongdoing),”he said.

France's World Cup campaign ended in turmoil last year after the players went on strike in support of forward Nicolas Anelka, who had been thrown off the squad for insulting Domenech. In the aftermath of France's first-round exit, Anelka was banned for 18 matches and three other players were sanctioned.

France has been facing a re-emergence of far-right ideas, with National Front possible presidential candidate Marine Le Pen soaring in recent opinion polls.

The French presidential election will be held next year amid heated debates on immigration.