France manager Laurent Blanc has denied any knowledge of a controversial alleged proposal by the French Football Federation (FFF) to limit the number of black and arab players by introducing discriminatory quotas.

Reports that French football chiefs, including Blanc, had discussed and approved the introduction of a ceiling on non-whites emerged Thursday via Mediapart.

The influential website claimed: "For the top brass in French football, the issue is settled: there are too many blacks, too many Arabs and not enough white players in French football.

Speaking at a press conference here Friday Blanc categorically dismissed Mediapart's assertions, the 1998 French World Cup winning defender denying that such a policy existed.

Raymond Domenech's successor, speaking publicly for the first time since the report surfaced, said he had "never heard mention of such a project".

He added: "Since around 15 years the playing policy has been discriminatory for a certain number of players, athletic and physical criteria being essential.

"Today, small players are penalised, that's discrimination," he explained, in a reference to youngsters coming through football training centres.

"What upsets me most is to add 'colour' to this. When one accuses me of this type of discimination, that annoys me.

"Diversity exists, on the street as in football," Blanc said.

On Thursday a report by Mediapart claimed: "Some top officials at the French football federation's National Development Programme (DTN), including national team coach Laurent Blanc, secretly approved at the start of 2011 the principle of unofficial discriminatory quotas in training centres and schools around the country."

Mediapart added that following a meeting in January, when those involved were told to keep the proposals secret, directives to apply the measures were sent to the numerous training centres around the country.

"According to internal sources at the FFF, who have been shocked by the proposals, instructions were sent to the different managers of training schools, notably the National French Institute at Clairefontaine," added the report.

"The figure of 30 percent was even evoked by the Technical Director during a DTN meeting on January 18, 2011."

The French Football Federation has also denied the Mediapart report.