Cantona - written off France. (Allsport)

By Mike Sinclair, PA Sport

Click here to place your World Cup bets!
Click here for France team section
Click here for teams index
Click here for latest World Cup headlines
Click here for World Cup photo gallery
Click here for World Cup Bettingzone

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona on Sunday wrote off France's hopes of retaining the World Cup because central defenders Marcel Desailly and Frank Leboeuf are not good enough.

"You can't win the World Cup with bad defenders," he said.

And the former French international striker does not even think his countrymen can overcome their shock 1-0 defeat by Senegal and come through their group unless they can get inspirational midfielder Zinedine Zidane fit for the next match against Uruguay.

Cantona also backed former Old Trafford team-mate Roy Keane in his dispute with the Republic of Ireland, branding the Irish officials as "amateurs".

That was the description he also applied to England's defending in the second half of today's 1-1 draw with Sweden.

Cantona revealed his feelings about the World Cup exclusively to PA Sport after playing for France as they lost 7-3 to Portugal in the three-day Kronenbourg Cup beach football tournament.

He insisted that although France's defeat by Senegal in the tournament's opening match shocked the football world it came as no surprise to him.

"Remember, 15 years ago I said an African team can win the World Cup. I wasn't shocked by it," he said.

And he will not be surprised if France fail to emerge from Group A.

"If Zinedine comes back, yes, if not, no," he stated.

"France have other good players - Fabien Barthez, the strikers Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet and of course Zidane. That's it.

"You can't win the World Cup with bad defenders. Desailly and Leboeuf are not good enough and because of that they will not win.

"You have to have good players in the middle at the back to give you a solid foundation."

Equally forcibly, Cantona had no hesitation in expressing his support for Keane, sent home by Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy following their bust up, which reverberated around the world.

He suggested that the Republic could benefit in the future if they take notice of Keane's complaints.

"I think Roy Keane is too professional for Ireland because they are amateurs. They don't understand him because he is such a professional.

"It's good for the team he said what he did because people may realise in the future that they have to listen to him and good players like him.

"It's great for a player like him to speak out about these things because they have to do it properly in the future and hopefully the preparation and things like this will be better."

Cantona insisted: "Roy does not have anything to prove to anyone. The problem is the amateurs do not understand these kind of players."

Before playing on Brighton beach in a specially-erected 3,000 capacity stadium, Cantona, who will turn out against Switzerland tomorrow, watched England's opening match and was decidedly unimpressed - especially when Everton's Niclas Alexandersson equalised for Sweden in the second half.

"I didn't like the way England played. It was like an amateur game in the second half," he said.

"For the Sweden goal, the right-back (Danny Mills) stayed on the line with the keeper. Rio Ferdinand was four metres in front of David Seaman and nobody got on the player," he said.

But Cantona still believes England are capable of performing well enough against Argentina and Nigeria to qualify from Group F.

"I know they can play better but today it was not too good," he added.