PSG racial profiling probe finds 'no proven case of discrimination'

Paris Saint-Germain says though the recruitment forms noted down ethnicity, there was no discrimination at the level of scouting, evaluating or recruiting.

Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian forward Neymar (R) and Paris Saint-Germain's Italian midfielder Marco Verratti (C) and Paris Saint-Germain's French midfielder Christopher Nkunku attend a training session at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, western Paris on August 31, 2018 on the eve of the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain and Nimes.
AFP

Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian forward Neymar (R) and Paris Saint-Germain's Italian midfielder Marco Verratti (C) and Paris Saint-Germain's French midfielder Christopher Nkunku attend a training session at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, western Paris on August 31, 2018 on the eve of the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain and Nimes.

Paris Saint-Germain announced on Thursday they had found "no proven case of discrimination" after an internal inquiry into accusations that players were subject to racial profiling by club recruiters.

The in-house investigation was launched in response to revelations last week by French investigative website Mediapart that club talent scouts operated a system of racial profiling for years.

The French champions released the findings of their probe after talks with French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu.

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Paris Saint-Germain's Angel Di Maria (C) with his team-mates in Paris at the Parc des Princes Stadium.

Mediapart, citing the latest series of Football Leaks documents, said that between 2013 and this year, PSG's scouting department filled in recruitment forms on potential youth signings that included a section on ethnicity.

The section offered four options: French, West Indian, North African, African.

Documenting information on racial or ethnic origins is illegal in France.

Thursday's statement from PSG said the investigation "confirmed the introduction of forms with a section on ethnicity between 2013-2017.

"These forms were the personal initiative of the head of the Province (scouting) department."

The statement concluded: "Despite their existence, there was no process of discrimination at the level of scouting, evaluating or recruiting of young players."

Under scrutiny

The team is also embroiled in a financial scandal. 

The whistle-blowing website Football Leaks claimed that between them, Qatar and Abu Dhabi have injected some $5.1 billion (4.5 billion euros) into PSG and Manchester City respectively over the last seven years.

UEFA allows for only a 30 million euros deficit and insists "Financial Fair Play has led to a steep change in the health of the finances in European club football".

Both PSG and City were fined 60 million euros by UEFA in May 2014, but both were told they would get 40 million euros back if they stuck to the terms of their settlement.

Teams were warned by UEFA on Monday that clubs whose finances have already been scrutinised by its Financial Fair Play regulations may not be out the clear yet.

UEFA suggested it could reopen previously concluded cases should new information arise.

Every club affiliated to UEFA faces an annual assessment against the break-even requirements and many have been investigated and either sanctioned or cleared.

But it now seems UEFA may go back over some closed cases.

"Should new information suggest that previously-concluded cases have been abused, those cases may be capable of being re-opened as determined on a case by case basis," UEFA said on Monday.

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