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In the middle of a statement war between the France Football Federation president and former player Eric Cantona involving striker Karim Benzema's Algerian heritage, there are many players who have come out to defend manager Didier Deschamps. The alleged race motive Deschamps has used to not call Benzema to play for France, seems like a bogus claim at best. Especially because there are many other players with Muslim related culture and heritage inside the France National Team today.
The real reason for Benzema's exclusion from the National team, is related to the player's behavior off the field and the constant scandals he gets himself involved in. Among all the players who have come out and defended Didier Deschamps with facts, full-back Bacary Sagna is one of the many who don't agree with Cantona or Benzema's claims. He believes that Deschamps truly has selected the best players to represent their country this summer.
Talking to the press, Sagna said: "The head coach needed to take some decisions. I am here today but a lot are not. I'm a black man, some are from Maghreb, others are French, some are French, the world is like this. I don't think there is racism. I don't think there is an issue today. Now it’s a shame that [Cantona's] comments happened before the Euro. It’s a shame that it happens each time before the French national team gets together. It happens quite often. It’s really a shame. We want to respond to everything by winning it."
Sagna added: "We made a good competition [at the World Cup in] 2014. It has brought a great excitement within the fans. We felt how happy they were and that the public wants us to win. We want to do it again. We're home. We know that the pressure will be different. We are ready for it and we are aware of the 7 finals ahead of us. First we worry about Friday. Then we'll see what we have to work on."
Photo credit: Bacary Sagna
