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French Sports
minister Chantal Jouanno will announce on Monday the initial findings
of a probe into alleged racial discrimination within the country’s
soccer federation.

France coach
Laurent Blanc, who helped win the 1998 World Cup as a player, has been
implicated in the affair but has yet to attend a Ministry hearing into
reports the federation wanted quotas for African and Arab players in
youth teams.

“I want to bring
serenity because what is happening is dramatic for football and for
sport,” Jouanno, who has backed Blanc, told reporters as she confirmed
her first report would land on Monday.

“You cannot accuse
Laurent Blanc of being racist and we must tell everyone to remind
themselves of the wonderful image of France ‘98.”

Since investigative
website Mediapart first broke the story on alleged quotas, a ministry
and separate federation inquiry have been set up with the latter due to
make its first report on Tuesday although that could be delayed.

The latest
information published by Mediapart is a chart, which it says was
circulated internally at the federation and identifies young players
with dual nationalities who were likely to choose to play for teams
other than France.

“What we should
look at is what this chart was really about,” added Jouanno, who
refused to say when Blanc would be heard by the inquiries, given he is
on holiday in Italy.

“The date of the hearing is confidential, I promised him,” she said.

“He is in the process of reviving the France team and he instils values. Now we must find a solution to the crisis.”

France endured a
woeful World Cup last year and their players even went on strike but
they are top of their Euro 2012 qualifying group under their new coach.

Blanc, slammed by
some of his France ‘98 team mates, has denied being racist and has said
any comments he made at a November meeting into dual nationality
players were taken out of context but could “offend some sensibilities”.

REUTERS