French football club Paris Saint-Germain has been fined €100,000 ($114,000) for racially profiling youth players.
Investigative website Mediapart published leaked documents in November last year revealing that PSG detailed the ethnic origins of potential recruits, listing prospective players as French, North African, black African or West Indian.
It is illegal in France to collect data based on an individual’s race, religion, or ethnicity.
The French champion released a statement at the time saying it felt the club’s “spirit and values were betrayed” by the practice which took place between 2013 and 2018, acknowledging that an “unacceptable identification field” had been used in the scouting of players.
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An investigation by the French league’s disciplinary committee announced the fine on Tuesday, saying that PSG did not use the data for discriminatory reasons.
LFP disciplinary commissioner Sebastien Deneux said it was “more a case of individual clumsiness and collective negligence.
“From what we can see PSG did not use the information on ethnicity for discriminatory ends,” Deneux added. “There is no case of discrimination that can be proved.”
PSG director Bertrand Rezeau received a suspended fine of €10,000 ($11,400), while recruitment heads Marc Westerloppe and Pierre Reynaud both received suspended charges of €5,000 ($5,600).
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The club currently holds a comfortable lead at the top of Ligue 1, undefeated after the first 19 games of the season and will play Manchester United in the Champions League last 16 round on February 12 and March 6.
French football is often upheld for as a positive example of the country’s ethnic diversity. The squad that won the 2018 World Cup featured 15 players of African heritage, including PSG star Kylian Mbappe.