Sagna defends Giroud, slams Cantona

France defender Bacary Sagna feels Eric Cantona’s recent comments that the French Football Federation has picked its players for the European Championships based on ethnicity are a shame.

Cantona suggested in an interview that both Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa were left out on race grounds, but Sagna insists this is not the case and the squad are united as one.

“The head coach needed to make some decisions. I am here today but a lot are not. Today 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 than those comments happened before the Euro (Eric Cantona’s). 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 release everything by winning it.”

The 33-year-old was keen to look at the positives, and talked up Benzema’s replacement Olivier Giroud who he believes has received unfair criticism.

“Karim is within the best strikers in the world. We currently have to do without him. We have to play using our strengths. We have to play with the one that replaced him, Olivier Giroud. We have to respect that decision.

“In my opinion Oliv’ is doing well even if he’s been a little criticised… unfounded. That’s football, we have to adapt and the team is dealing well with it.”

He also denied that he has made a bet with Manchester City team-mate David Silva, who is part of the Spain squad, on who will win the tournament.

“Absolutely not (made a bet with Silva), but we know that Spain is a serious candidate. They have a great team. They are used to play their tournaments until the end. We didn’t speak about it.”