Not two days removed from a 50th birthday celebrated wildly by Premier League nostalgia merchants such as ourselves, Manchester United legend and former France international Eric Cantona has made some eyebrow-raising claims against current national team boss Didier Deschamps.
'Le King,' who won the last of his 45 caps for France in 1995, has never enjoyed the healthiest relationship with Deschamps - or Les Bleus for that matter. Today, Cantona pondered aloud as to whether Hatem Ben Arfa and Karim Benzema were omitted from France's Euro 2016 squad due to their north African heritage.
Recently linked with a move to Barcelona, former Newcastle and Hull winger-slash-forward Ben Arfa has ripped Ligue 1 apart for Nice this season, while Benzema... Well, he's been in good form for Real Madrid, but he was also questioned by police regarding an alleged attempt by one of his mates to blackmail Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape so, you know, it's been an up-and-down type of season for the 81-cap forward.
Cantona, though, suggests it's possible that Deschamps is simply 'using' Benzema's purported misadventures to keep him out of the squad, and that Ben Arfa's exclusion - despite his being a perpetually flaky footballer - can be put down to the same type of bias:
Benzema is a great player. Ben Arfa is a great player. 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,
Cantona told The Guardian. Sadly, he was far from finished... When asked if Deschamps was guilty of discrimination against the pair, Cantona 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.
I’m not surprised he [Deschamps] used the situation of Benzema not to take him. Especially after [French prime minister, Manuel] 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.
While nobody can deny King Eric's right to think about things, it's also worth noting that he declared Deschamps "a muppet," and claimed he will be supporting England at Euro 2016.
To read the full interview, head on over to The Guardian.
