The race debate sparked by criticism of the French World Cup squad

When France won the World Cup in 1998, Les Bleus, as the French squad are known, were hailed as sporting heroes.

The government claimed vindication for its model of assimilating ethnic minorities from its former African and Caribbean colonies.

However, Les Bleus have now been knocked out of this year's tournament in South Africa and a recent mutiny by players has been derided by politicians and newspapers in France.

The general tenor of French media and political criticism of the predominantly black French football squad is that they have humiliated France.

The writer and philosopher Alain Finkielkraut described the French team as "not a team at all, but a gang of hooligans that knows only the morals of the mafia".

Some have ascribed racist overtones to the views he has expressed.

To the discuss the issue, Newshour brought together Brimah Conteh, the director of Diaspora Afrique, a human rights group in France and Laurent Dubois, the author of Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France.

The BBC's David Chazan sampled the views of young French people of African origin in Paris, including NG, who studied for 10 years in England.

First broadcast 22 June 2010