Eric Cantona believes Didier Deschamps may have dropped France players for racial reasons

Former Manchester United forward asks controversial question

Eric Cantona has questioned Didier Deschamps motives (GETTY IMAGES)

Eric Cantona has accused Didier Deschamps of not selecting either Karim Benzema or Hatem Ben Arfa for France's European Championship squad on grounds of their race.

Ben Arfa, who had a fine season for Nice, is a standby while Benzema has been excluded amid allegations of an attempt by one of his friends to blackmail his international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape.

“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. And Ben Arfa is maybe the best player in France today. But they have some origins. I am allowed to think about that.”

When asked if this was really what the former Manchester United player believed he replied: “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.”