French secretary of sport Bernard Laporte has announced he plans to launch a study into French football following a disappointing campaign for Ligue 1 side's in Europe this season.

Marseille's 2-0 defeat away to Zenit St Petersburg in their UEFA Cup last-16 second leg on Wednesday not only sent them crashing out of the competition on away goals, but also ended French hopes of winning European silverware this season.

OM's defeat ensured there would be no Ligue 1 representative in the quarter-finals of European competition for the second year running.

Last week France's last surviving team in the Champions League, Lyon, limped out at the last-16 stage of the competition without presenting much of a fight against Manchester United.

Monaco made the final of the Champions League in 2004, but no French team has won Europe's top prize since Marseille in 1993, and a Ligue 1 side has never been crowned champions in the UEFA Cup.

Now the French government have intervened to try and find a definitive answer as to why Ligue 1 sides repeatedly fail to impose themselves on continental competition.

"I have entrusted my colleague in government Eric Besson (state secretary for public policies) to launch a complete study into how competitive French professional football is at the moment," Laporte told French newspaper Le Figaro.

"No question will be considered taboo. When I see the 140 million euro budget at Lyon and 300 million at Real Madrid I start to wonder if such a gulf is normal."

Laporte also lamented the inability of France's top sides to keep hold of their players.

Last year Marseille failed to maintain the services of France international Franck Ribery, who left to join Bayern Munich despite the fact that the German side would not be playing in the Champions League.

This season it is Lyon's turn to ward off potential suitors for their players with a host of top clubs reportedly waiting in the wings to snatch away young star Karim Benzema.

"How long, for example, are Lyon going to be able to keep hold of Benzema?" Laporte asked.

"At the start of the week I read that Ribery had announced that would never return to a French club, because he was treated much better in Germany.

"He lives there, he must be right. But can we be happy to hear that?"