France Coach Didier Deschamps to Sue Eric Cantona for Defamation
France national team coach Didier Deschamps has reportedly filed a complaint for defamation against Manchester United legend Eric Cantona.
Defamation is defined as, the communication of a false statement that harms the reputation of an individual person or business, and Deschamps clearly feels as though Cantona's behavior belongs in that category.
The former United man was interviewed by The Guardian back in May of 2016 and was questioned about predicament of the national team at the time. Cantona replied by questioning the current manager's handling of star striker Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa.
The Los-Blancos talisman was barred from France's Euro 2016 campaign, when he was implicated in an attempted extortion charge, over his international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena.
France's Court of Cassation - the highest appeals court in France - dismissed the validity of the inquest into Benzema's alleged blackmail and he has been eligible to play for the national side ever since. Deschamps however, has opted against recalling the striker, while Ben Arfa was last capped in November of 2015.
In an interview with RMC, Deschamps lawyer Carlo Alberto Brusa, stated that his client will take legal action against Cantona's claims that both Benzema and Ben Arfa have been treated differently due to their ethnicity:
"When we are treated as racist and we are not, we want justice," Brusa said.
"That means that certain remarks have to be sanctioned by criminal justice, that means that defamation should be retained.
"The context was extremely heavy and there was an almost national and public debate to know if Mr Deschamps was racist or not," he continued.
"It is something that can have catastrophic consequences, although Mr Deschamps is extremely strong and has been to face the situation."
Deschamps remained in his role as manager of the national side, despite losing to Portugal in the final of Euro 2016 and has since led France to qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
