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When one stops to think about where this criticism is coming from, one can understand that such a controversial claim can be expected from a man like Eric Cantona. The 'King' has always been a person with very little filter or none at all, his public statements always tend to be politically incorrect and he never ever measures what he says or thinks about what impact his word may have. This time he did it again, he lashed out against the French National Team coach: Didier Deschamps.
During a rant with The Guardian, Cantona talked about Didier Deschamps' unaltered genes and was convinced that not taking Muslim players like Karim Benzema and Ben Arfa is completely a race issue. But is it really? Is Deschamps resentful for what the negative side of Islam extremists have done to France last year, and that's why he decided to leave both players out of the roster? At this point Cantona's claims seem farfetched, but only time will tell.
However, it is a little bit crazy that Eric Cantona has the guts to make such a bold statement. It may be also true that Karim Benzema's off-the-field mistakes may have pushed the manager to leave him out of the squad, but Cantona seems to have forgotten this: "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.
"So I'm not surprised he 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. 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."
Photo credit: Getty Images
