Eric Cantona has controversially suggested the ethnicity of Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa may have been factors in the France manager Didier Deschamps leaving the pair out of his squad for next months European Championship

Eric Cantona has controversially suggested the ethnicity of Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa may have been a factor in the France manager Didier Deschamps leaving the pair out of his squad for next months European Championship.

Ben Arfa, a former Newcastle forward, was only named on standby despite a brilliant season for Nice that has seen him linked with a move to Barcelona. But it is Benzemas exclusion after he was questioned by police in connection with an alleged attempt by one of his friends to blackmail his international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape which is given particularly short shrift by Cantona, who turned 50 on Tuesday.

Cantona described the French prime minister, Manuel Valls, as a hypocrite because he urged Deschamps to leave Benzema out while French politicians embroiled in scandal stay in their jobs. 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 Im not surprised he used the situation of Benzema not to take him. Especially after Valls said he should not play for France. And Ben Arfa is maybe the best player in France today. But they have some origins. I am allowed to think about that.

Asked if he was really suggesting that Deschamps a former France team-mate who he also described as a muppet had been guilty of discriminating against the pair, Cantona added: 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.

Deschamps declined to comment when contacted by the Guardian.

Cantona, who won the last of his 45 caps for France in 1995, has never enjoyed the healthiest relationship with Les Bleus and insists he will be supporting Roy Hodgsons England instead this summer.

One of the great international sporting festivals will take place against a backdrop of rising right-wing nationalism across the continent, a spiralling refugee crisis and security fears in a country left on edge by Novembers terror attacks in Paris.

For sure, if France win the European Championship the politicians will use that success just as they did [after the World Cup] in 98. But its just politics, said Cantona, who this week launched ITVs marketing campaign for its sports coverage this summer. The people from the right, they use this situation. They mix everything. They mix up Daesh, the bombing, the refugees. We have to be cleverer. There are people here who really need help. They are the ones we should think about.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/may/26/eric-cantona-didier-deschamps-may-left-out-players-racial-grounds

Members of anti-refugee group protest against marketing campaign preceding European championships this summer

Supporters of Germanys anti-immigration movement Pegida have expressed outrage that the blue-eyed blond boys on the packaging of Kinder chocolate bars are being replaced by children of African and Middle Eastern appearance seemingly unaware that they are childhood photographs of players in their own national football team.

A photograph of two boxes of the chocolate bar one carrying a childhood portrait of Gelsenkirchen-born midfielder Ilkay Gndogan, the other of Berlin-born defender Jrme Boateng were shared last week on the Facebook page of the Bodensee branch of the anti-refugee protest movement.

They dont stop at anything, said the original post. Can you really buy them like that, or is that a joke? Another commenter wrote: Surely thats a fake?!???

They are really trying to trick us into accepting every kind of rubbish as normal, poor Germany, said another post.

Others called for a boycott of the chocolate bars, which are produced by the Italian manufacturer Ferrero. One wrote: If thats the case, I wont be buying it any more.

Some commenters tried to draw attention to the fact that the packaging was only a marketing stunt designed to tie the product in with the upcoming European Football Championship in France. Dear folks, firstly Ferrero is an Italian manufacturer, and secondly, where do think they get the cocoa from to make the chocolate with? said one.

But many of Pegidas supporters evidently felt discomfited by non-white players representing Germany at football internationals. You mean die Mannschaft [a nickname for the German team]? Theres nothing national about them any more.

These are gladiators therefore slaves who dont play for Germany out of conviction, but only for the money.

Pegidas name is an abbreviation for Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West.

Ferrero has now commented on the story, which has been widely covered on German news websites, saying in a statement on its Facebook page: Ferrero would like to expressly distance itself from all kinds of xenophobia and discrimination.

Until 2011, Germany internationals featured in a series of ads for the cocoa spread Nutella, also produced by Ferrero. Because many players featured in the ads saw their international careers nosedive soon after, the tie-in became colloquially known as the Nutella curse.

Of the players featured on the special-edition Kinder chocolates, at least two Gndogan and Leverkusen midfielder Christoph Kramer will miss out on this years tournament due to injury or non-selection.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/25/pegida-activists-protest-images-non-white-german-footballers-kinder

(CNN)What if the next big thing in fashion wasn’t something wearable, but something all together different — something more?

The idea of fashion designers drawing inspiration from other areas — be it music or art — is nothing new. But in recent years, the trend has accelerated, with designers forming real world collaborations with artists — think sportswear brand adidas and Pritzker prize architect Zaha Hadid, or Snarkitecture and COS — leading to the development of new more hybridized business models.

Our followers are mad talented ! Thanks @monsieurpoppi for the @gildaskitsune + @masayakitsune drawing #maisonkitsune

A photo posted by Maison Kitsun (@kitsune) on May 22, 2015 at 12:11am PDT

At the forefront of this new hybrid trend is pioneering French brand Maison Kitsun. Founded by Parisians Gildas Loac and Masaya Kuroki 13 years ago, the music-label-fashion-house crossover has since seen global success, with over 50 artists signed and 12 stand alone boutiques in Paris, New York, Tokyo, and most recently, Hong Kong.

Having originally met in a record shop in Paris, the duo’s combined interest in both music and fashion pushed them to experiment with more multi-layered hybrid forms (previous collaborations saw the duo work alongside Daft Punk, among others).

Today the Kitsun record label represents big names such as La Roux and Two Door Cinema Club, while the Kitsun fashion label boasts celebrity customers such as Jay Z and Ellie Goulding.

Described by Loac and Kuroki as a “lifestyle brand,” the pair reject the idea that fashion and music should be separated.

“Music and fashion have a lot in common when it comes to codes and mechanics, despite the fact that they’re two different worlds. For us, it was time to put those two activities under one roof and one experience,” explains Loac.

The label, according to the duo, is a reflection of their own lifestyle. “We have become our brand and vice versa. Fashion and music are two different worlds with different codes, spirit, environments, cycles, but both co-exist as equals.Working in both industries forces us to remain open-minded. We don’t have any primary targets. We’re speaking to everyone.”

This sense of open-mindedness can be seen elsewhere too. Not content with focusing exclusively on music and fashion, the two maintain a prominent interest in interior design and architecture as well.

Given Masaya’s background as a trained architect, the duo maintain full control of the interior design throughout their boutique locations, establishing their own Kitsun signature interior while simultaneously pulling inspiration from each store’s surroundings.

“For our boutiques, we’re always trying to adapt and draw our inspiration from the country, the neighbourhood, the cultural atmosphere,” says Masaya.

Using the recently opened Hong Kong store as an example, Masaya explains that the new location fuses “post-modern chic with Parisian heritage and touches of traditional Asian decors.”

But in a city obsessed with harmony and feng shui, this coming together of multiple elements is no easy task.

“More and more Hong Kong brands are reaching out to artists to be the faces of their collection, releasing compilations, inviting bands to perform to their events [but] it’s important to have music and fashion under one roof without using either as a marketing accessory. It’s all about the good balance and creating the best recipe.”

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/06/style/maison-kitsune-interview/index.html