Sacrebleu! C'est Incroyable!

It seems to be a never ending cycle of ups and downs when it comes to the French national football team. From the highs of France '98, to slumping out in the group stages in the far east in '02. An unlikely World Cup final followed in 2006, but was overshadowed by THAT head-butt, before what can only be described as pure meltdown in South Africa last summer. The message was clear: Raymond Domenech had lost his way, and Laurent Blanc was the man to restore the national sides pride and dignity. 

Blanc - under pressure?

However, less than a year into his tenure as boss, his credibility has been seriously challenged, with Blanc - amongst other coaches - being investigated for suggesting a quota limiting the number of Black and Arab players in the French youth team setup. Despite being cleared of creating an unhealthy philosophy of racial discrimination, his reputation may well still suffer in a country with large populations of both Blacks and Arabs.

The suggestion was to limit the number of Black and Arab players to 30% in the national youth academies around France. By doing this, it was argued that young 'French' talent, who held dual nationality, would be more likely to play for Les Bleus, than opt to play for their second country. 

The one that got away, Gonzalo Higuain

Hugh Schofield, from the BBC mentioned that - "At the World Cup, for example, there were nine players on other sides who had previously played for France. This is the tendency that the Federation wants to limit." Players such as Gonzalo Higuain, who was born in France, but instead chose to represent Argentina at national level. Would this have happened with a 'Racial quota'? Probably.

If we even take a glimpse of the French national side over the last 10 years or so, it is filled with racial diversity and players born out with their borders. This includes a number of former captains and some of the countries most capped/loved players. In fact, three of the five most capped players in France's history have represented them, despite not being born in the country. Record cap holder Lillian Thuram played 142 games for France, whilst Marcel Desailly and Patrick Vieira played 116 and 107 times respectively. 

Thuram - 142 caps

Were the powers that be at FFF subliminally trying to suggest that they want to change the way that football is played in France? No more would it be the days of large muscular midfielder's such as Vieira and current power houses Alou and Lassana Diarra. Instead, would they prefer more players in the mold of Samir Nasri, Franck Ribery and Youri Djorkaeff, smaller, more technically skilled players - playing a more attractive brand of football, pehaps?

It could be said that France is suffering from its colonial past, where young, bright footballers may still hold dual nationality. It seems only logical for some players to pursue a fledging national career elsewhere, rather than play the odd friendly match for the country of their birth. Even the great Zinedine Zidane was once (supposedly) said to have been close to playing for his parents nation, Algeria. 

A nation that bans wearing of a veil in public, despite being the largest centre for immigration in Western Europe will always be hard to understand from an outside perspective. In this instance, however, it seems like a case of having one's cake and eating it too. It is perfectly acceptable for foreign born players to represent Les Bleus, but not Les Bleus representing anyone else.

'98, a nation culturally united.