The ethnicity of both Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa played a role when Didier Deschamps considered his Euro 2016 squad, according to France legend Eric Cantona.
Ben Arfa was put on standby in the 23-man France squad for the European Championships while Benzema didn’t make the squad at all after the investigation around his alleged involvement in attempting to blackmail Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape.
But Eric Cantona, who won 45 caps for Les Bleus, believes that race was a contributing factor for Didier Deschamps as he left out two of the most in-form players who were up for selection.
Cantona claimed that Deschamps, with whom he shares a frosty relationship, was influenced by French prime minister Manuel Valls, who publicly asked for Benzema’s exclusion.
“Benzema is a great player. Ben Arfa is a great player,” Cantona told the Guardian. “But Deschamps, he has a really French name. Maybe he is the only one in France to have a truly French name. Nobody in his family mixed with anybody, you know. Like the Mormons in America.”
“So I’m not surprised he used the situation of Benzema not to take him. Especially after Valls said he should not play for France. And Ben Arfa is maybe the best player in France today. But they have some origins. I am allowed to think about that.”
Cantona was pressed on the issue and the Manchester United icon followed up on his opinion that the North African origins of both Benzema and Ben Arfa could have been a motivating factor for Deschamps.
He said: “Maybe no, but maybe yes. Why not? One thing is for sure – Benzema and Ben Arfa are two of the best players in France and will not play the European Championship. And for sure, Benzema and Ben Arfa, their origins are north African. So, the debate is open.”
In response, Deschamps is now reportedly planning to sue Cantona over the racism allegations.
His lawyer Carlos Brusa is quoted as saying: “I will initiate action before the civil and criminal courts to punish these slanderous and defamatory comments that infringe impermissibly on Mr Deschamps’ integrity.”
