Soccer: Fifa blast Cantona's comments on cocaine

Eric Cantona has been branded 'stupid' by a member of Fifa's executive committee following his comments about cocaine.

The former Manchester United star claimed at the weekend that he preferred players who took drugs for pleasure to those who took drugs to cheat.

In defence of Maradona's cocaine use, he said: "I like these kind of people, I like sportsmen who don't take drugs just to win matches.

"I prefer somebody who takes cocaine on a Wednesday and plays football at the weekend, plays well and wins.

"Some people don't choose drugs like cocaine, but use drugs to win. How can they look themselves in the face?"

But Per Ravn Omdal, who is also the president of the Norwegian football federation (NFF), believes he should have condemned all drug use unreservedly.

"It is a completely meaningless statement," he told a Norwegian news agency.

"People who are as famous and as popular as Cantona must show some responsibility. This is a stupid thing to say.

"We distance ourselves from every kind of narcotic substance, and are working on a global scale to fight drug abuse.

"This substance is on both Fifa's and the IOC's list of banned substances. We don't want this kind of development."