Sunday, 01 July 2012 00:31

PARIS: Laurent Blanc decided not to extend his contract as France coach after two years in charge, the French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed.

Les Bleus reached the quarter-finals at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine before being eliminated by Spain. However, their performance against Sweden, a loss that condemned them to second place in Group D, was heavily criticised.

The campaign was also tarnished by a number of feuds within the camp, infighting between certain players, and incidents such as midfielder Samir Nasri's foul-mouthed outburst at the French media.

Blanc met with FFF president Noel Le Graet on Thursday for talks regarding his future, and both parties took 48 hours to mull matters over.

And it has now been confirmed that the 46-year-old will leave his post in charge of the team, after two years of service.

"At the end of the period of reflection, Laurent Blanc contacted Le Graet, president of the FF to indicate his decision to not extend his contract as national coach," a statement on the FFF's official website read.

"Le Graet has acknowledged and applauded the work carried out by Blanc at the head of the France team since August 2010.

"The executive committe of the federation will meet on Tuesday, and the FFF and the president will make no comments, until a press conference scheduled for the end of this work session."

France went on a 23-game unbeaten run during Blanc's tenure, but it was eventually broken by Sweden in their final group match.

-mD