Manchester City midfielder Patrick Vieira: France quota story is ‘scandalous’

Patrick Vieira, France (Getty Images)

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Former France midfielder Patrick Vieira has expressed his shock at allegations that some French Football Federation (FFF) officials are trying to impose a quota system that will limit the number of ethnic and minority players in the national team.

French website Mediapart ran a story last week in which it revealed reports of a meeting last November in which current France coach Laurent Blanc, FFF technical director Francois Blaquart, Under-21 coach Erick Mombaerts and Under-20 coach Francis Smerecki decided to limit the number of black players as well as players of north African origin to be inducted in the youth academies at the age of 12.

Although Blanc strongly denied the allegations in front of the press, Blaquart was suspended on Saturday and the FFF has launched an investigation.

The news has been heavily criticised by some of the former France players and Vieira, who won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with the European nation, has now added his concern.

“This story is scandalous,” he told Le Monde. “I’m shocked. I would never have imagined that the football chiefs in our country could have such conversations about the France team in the body of the federation. Never.

“I know Laurent Blanc. I’ve always had a good relationship with him. I don’t believe he’s racist, but I’m surprised as to the degree of his comments. When I read that he has said, ‘The Spaniards, they don’t have a problem because they don’t have any blacks’ or ‘What is there that is big, strong, powerful? The blacks’, it’s scandalous! These are serious comments.

“People can tell me what they want, but no one was trapped during this meeting. No one forced anyone to say these comments and still they said them. It’s a fact, that’s shocking.”

The Manchester City midfielder also raised doubt on whether to suspend only Blaquart was a right decision and explained: “It’s difficult to suspend just one person when others had the same type of discussion.

“It would have been more logical to suspend everyone who, like him, said the same things. It’s not up to me to say who should go, but I would not have been able to understand how these directors, who were at the meeting, could stay in their jobs.

“If these people stay, then that’s the door open to all discrimination. If football really wants to fight against this scourge, if the FFF want to show that they have the values of the Republic, then there are strong decisions that must be made.

“They shouldn’t forget that they are the elite of football. It’s they who will design the French football of tomorrow. It’s they who are supposed to defend community harmony.”

Vieira was born in Senegal and moved to France when he was a young boy. He made his debut for them in 1997 and made over 100 appearances for his country before retiring from international duty in 2009.