Fifa threatens French team ban for interference

The threat came as a government spokeswoman said that the coach and Federation president would appear at a parliamentary commission.

PARIS // A threat by Fifa yesterday to ban France's national and club teams from international competition if the government did not stay out of football affairs failed to stop the political debate over the country's World Cup debacle. Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, warned that football's governing body would suspend the French Football Federation (FFF) if France's politicians interfered in its business.

If France were suspended, the country would be banned from international tournaments and French clubs could not take part in European competitions. The threat came as a National Assembly spokeswoman said Raymond Domenech, the coach whose contract ended after the finals, and Jean-Pierre Escalettes, who has quit his post as the FFF president, would appear at a parliamentary commission today. Escalettes resigned on Monday in the wake of France's disastrous showing in South Africa, saying the decision was his own, but Roselyne Bachelot, the French Sports Minister, had said last week his resignation was "unavoidable".

The commission has no power to take any sanctions, but the move further irritated Blatter, who stressed he would not tolerate the French government or president getting involved in the running of football. "In France they have made an 'affaire d'Etat' [a national issue] with football, but football remains in the hands of the federation," Blatter said at a press briefing yesterday. "French football can rely on Fifa in case of political interference even if it is at presidential level; it is a clear message. We will help the national association and if it cannot be solved by consultation then the only thing we have is to suspend the federation."

Fifa briefly suspended Greece in 2006, and has threatened action against the football associations of Poland, Portugal and Spain in recent years because of government interference. France's World Cup group-stage exit, marred by the players' decision to boycott a training session in support of the expelled striker Nicolas Anelka, has sparked a passionate debate in the country, with senior politicians getting involved.

Such was the national angst that Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, urged a football shake-up and met with Thierry Henry, the former team captain. Denis Masseglia, the French Olympic Committee president, made it clear, however, that the FFF, not politicians, should oversee the necessary wholesale review. "We must agree on the principles we have to follow but it's up to soccer people to decide what's good for their sport," Masseglia said.

With a new coach and soon a new chief, French football is attempting a fresh start - the only option after a catastrophic World Cup campaign. Domenech, whose had a traumatic six-year tenure, will now make way for Laurent Blanc, the former Bordeaux manager and a prominent member of France's 1998 World Cup-winning squad. Escalettes has not only paid the price for France's bad behaviour at the World Cup, but also for supporting Domenech in spite of the team's Euro 2008 flop.

On Friday in Paris, Blanc is expected to be presented with a two-year contract and the mission to qualify the team for the 2012 European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. Nicknamed "The President" for his calm authority in his playing days, Blanc must rebuild a team who looked lost on the pitch at the World Cup. Escalettes is likely to be replaced at first by a caretaker president before September elections take place. The favourite to succeed him is senior FFF official Jacques Lambert, who masterminded France's successful bid to host Euro 2016.

* Reuters