Monday, 21st October, 2013
Manchester United defender Patrice Evra is at the centre of a storm in his native France after he criticised the country's TV pundits for being critical of his performances with the country's national team.
Evra took aim at a number of pundits, including former Bayern Munich left-back Bixente Lizarazu.
The Manchester United star took to Telefoot to blast: "People have a good impression of me, it won't be these tramps who dirty my image."
He continued: "There are some pundits with whom I will soon settle my differences with. They want to sell a lie to the French people that Evra is disliked. But that is not the case at all.
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"I do not know what Lizarazu has against me. I was twice voted best left-back in the world, four times the best left-back in the Premier League. Him, I don't even know if he was ever voted best left-back in the world."
Evra's comments provoked an instant response from the French Football Federation (FFF), who have opted to summon the left-back to explain his words.
The FFF said in a statement: "Following the remarks made by Patrice Evra in an interview to Telefoot after France v Finland, president Noel Le Graet and coach Didier Deschamps, while recognising that no attack was made against the FFF, the France team, the coach or the players, have decided to ask Patrice Evra to come to explain certain statements about the broadcasters."
At the centre of recent criticism of Evra has been his decision to give a half time team-talk to his team-mates in their World Cup qualifier against Belarus, a match France won 4-2.
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