Paris Saint-Germain's attacking duo Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani, who missed the Ligue 1 side's recent training camp in Morocco, have received financial and sporting sanctions from the club, coach Laurent Blanc has announced.
The South American duo will train away from the group until next Saturday and will miss the next two games -- a French Cup tie against Montpellier on Monday and a Ligue 1 clash against Bastia on 10 January. A furious Blanc, however, declined to give details of the financial punishments meted out on the pair.
"We could have done without this, it comes at a bad time," said Blanc. "We summonsed, Olivier (Letang, PSG's sporting director) and myself, Cavani and Lavezzi. We had explanations and following that the club took financial and sporting sanctions."
Former France international Blanc said he had "the backing and support of the club" to sanction the players. "I find it inadmissible and unacceptable," said Blanc. "When you're in a sports club, a collective project, once you put a personal project before the group, it puts the group in danger. I detest that. Once you meddle with the group and the team, I can become nasty and unforgiving."
Uruguayan Cavani and Argentinian Lavezzi were notable absentees from a winter training camp in Morocco which culminated in a 1-0 friendly win over Inter Milan and neither player appeared at the club's first training session of the new year at the club's base in the Paris suburbs. They both claimed they had been delayed by family commitments.
Blanc has vowed to toughen "discipline" within the squad with PSG sitting in third place in Ligue 1, behind Lyon and leaders Marseille, at the season's halfway stage.
Source: FIFA.com