Blanc criticises French exclusion from seeds

France, World Cup winners in 1998 and runners-up in 2006, were among the nine teams in the second tier and will also face Belarus, Georgia and Finland after being drawn in Group I.

"I don't know why France are in the second group, why Greece, Norway and Croatia are ranked higher," Blanc told reporters after the gala draw held at a yachting marina near the centre of Rio.

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