( CNN) It's one of Europe's biggest clubs and the dominant force in French football, but Paris Saint-Germain says the club's “spirit and values were betrayed” as its scouts illegally racially profiled young players during recruitment over a five-year period.

Mediapart revealed that PSG detailed the ethnic origins of potential recruits, and that players were “disregarded” by the Parisian club on the grounds of being black.

The Greater Paris area, particularly its diverse, sprawling suburbiums, is arguably the most fertile breeding ground in the world for top-class footballing talent.

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