NEWS ROUND-UP:FRANCE COACH Laurent Blanc has kept his job after being cleared of wrongdoing by an investigation into a discrimination row that has shaken French football, the soccer federation (FFF) said yesterday.

“The federal council renews its entire confidence in Laurent Blanc,” said FFF president Fernand Duchaussoy.

Blanc attended a meeting in November at which members of the federation discussed the idea of enforcing limits on black and Arab players in youth academies.

The meeting was originally meant to discuss the large number of players in France with dual nationality who eventually choose to play for their country of origin.

“The federal council has taken note no discrimination was ever put in place,” Duchaussoy added.

Scott Parker admitted he was “staggered” to collect the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year Award last night, but admitted he would change the best season of his career to have West Ham survive in the Premier League. In what was one of the closest contests of recent seasons, Parker topped the poll of journalists ahead of Tottenham’s Gareth Bale, the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year.

Vojvodina Novi Sad have been charged by the Serbian FA (FSS) after abandoning their cup final with Partizan Belgrade, the governing body said yesterday. Vojvodina, led by coach Zoran Milinkovic, walked off the pitch on Wednesday in the 80th minute to protest against some controversial refereeing decisions, handing Partizan their 12th cup title.

Partizan, who are also close to retaining their league title, led 2-1 in the final after Zvonimir Vukic converted a controversial spot kick and Vojvodina then had a goal disallowed and a strong penalty claim turned down. Having sarcastically applauded referee Slobodan Veselinovic and Partizan’s players, who tried to persuade them to carry on, the Vojvodina team headed for the tunnel and boycotted the trophy presentation.