Frank Leboeuf has defended Didier Deschamps over Eric Cantona's suggestion that race played a factor in his selection of France's squad for the European Championships.
The retired defender has revealed, however, that he warned his former international captain the make-up of his squad would leave him open to criticism.
After the France manager overlooked Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa, Cantona told The Guardian: "(They) are two of the best players in France and will not play. And for sure, their origins are north African. So, the debate is open.
"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."
Deschamps, a long-term adversary of Cantona, has not responded to the claims but his lawyer has since spoken of their plans to sue the former Manchester United forward, who denied labelling him a racist.
Leboeuf remains defensive of his friend, but does not believe well-known maverick Cantona should be punished.
"I was quite appalled by what he said, because I know Didier very well," Leboeuf, an analyst for ESPN, told Press Association Sport. "Saying his name's a bit too French: my name's very French and I'm not racist.
"The thing that Didier might be racist, it's very bad, because his best friend is Marcel Desailly - as far as I know, Marcel is black - one of his best friends is Zinedine Zidane, and Zinedine comes from Algeria.
"In France we've been invaded by so many countries during our history - Arabs, Italians, Celts, Vikings, Prussians - that nobody is a real French guy. 'Pure' French, it doesn't mean anything, we're all b*******, so we have to accept that people can be not the same colour, but belonging to the same country.
"I said to Didier, before they made the (squad), 'If you don't take somebody (of North African descent) you might have a problem'. Because some of our compatriots won't recognise themselves in the team, so it's really political. Nobody really reacted to that matter.
"Suddenly Eric made a comment. The day after, a comedian made a comment. And then Benzema did his article, saying he didn't think Deschamps was a racist but he listened to a section of racist people in France, which is completely untrue."
Benzema was left out of the hosts' squad after becoming embroiled in a blackmail saga with fellow France international Mathieu Valbuena over the reported existence of a sex tape.
Deschamps' home was last week vandalised when someone wrote "racist" on one of its walls, and Leboeuf believes Cantona's comments have been irresponsible at a time when the domestic popularity of Marine Le Pen and her far-right Front National party is growing.
"If Eric wouldn't have said anything, it would have been good," said the 48-year-old.
"He has a right as a human being to say whatever it is. I work for the media, radio, television, and I asked my friends working there, 'What is the importance of commenting on what he said? Would I be smarter to say nothing?'.
"Because it doesn't help France, we are right now seeing Marine Le Pen is getting bigger and bigger for the election, that we are under terrorist threat, so you don't need racist comments in the face of everybody, especially when it doesn't exist.
"Eric Cantona is a smart guy. I loved the player, I love the personality of Eric, but my only question when I saw that comment was 'Why now? Why do you need to show you're still alive, and you exist, in the newspapers?'"
:: ESPN.co.uk will provide comprehensive coverage of Euro 2016.
Source: PA
