France coach Didier Deschamps has insisted that he never had any hesitation over selecting Patrice Evra in his squad for next week's World Cup playoff against Ukraine, despite his attack on French football pundits last month.
Evra was asked to explain labelling Bixente Lizarazu and other pundits "tramps" on French television last month by the French Football Federation, but still made Les Bleus' squad for a decisive two-legged tie with Ukraine.
Deschamps has refused to enter a debate over Evra's comments and wants the focus to be on Les Bleus and their push to secure a place in next summer's South American showpiece.
He told reporters: "I'm focused on the challenge ahead and so are my staff. There are many debates about a lot of subjects, but our attention should be focused on our objectives.
"You're free to start your debates, I'll leave them to you. Patrice Evra was available and I took the decision to pick him.
"It should not be thought that we are qualified before we are. Ukraine is a team that has quality and has had a series of very positive matches. This will not be simple. We must deal with it as best we can."
Les Bleus travel to Kiev on November 15 for the first leg of their tie, before the decisive return at the Stade de France four days later.
Liam Power
