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Evra avoids ban after tirade

Paris - Manchester United and France left-back Patrice Evra will not be banned by the French Football Federation (FFF) in the wake of a vicious verbal assault on several pundits in a television interview.

In a statement on Thursday, the FFF confirmed that Evra would remain available for selection for the national team, leaving him open for a place in Didier Deschamps' squad for next month's two-legged World Cup qualifying play-off against Ukraine.

"After hearing his explanations, and seeing the remorse shown by the player, and ahead of two decisive matches for the future of French football, president Noel Le Graet has decided that Patrice Evra remains available for selection," the statement read.

Evra attacked four high-profile pundits, including France's World Cup winning left-back Bixente Lizarazu, former Marseille coach Rolland Courbis and ex-Paris Saint-Germain player and coach Luis Fernandez in an interview given to TV station TF1 in the wake of last Tuesday's 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Finland and aired on Sunday.

Evra branded his critics as "tramps" and "parasites".

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