Former Manchester United striker Eric Cantona has admitted his plan to run for the French presidency was a publicity stunt designed to get better housing for the poor.
The admission was made after a letter from the ex-soccer star was sent to mayors across France asking for their support. The letter first appeared in the French daily newspaper Liberation.
The announcement sparked hours of debate on French airwaves, before Cantona explained in a letter published in the same newspaper that he wanted real presidential candidates to support the Fondation Abbe Pierre, a respected foundation working to house the poor.
In subsequent interviews, Cantona criticized mayors for preferring to pay fines than to build the required amount of public housing in their towns and cities.
French commentator Daniel Pageon told Sky News, "Over three million French people don't have proper housing. 900,000 homes have got to be built but nobody does anything about it.
"Even the town where the current president comes from has been paying fines [rather than build homes] because they don't want to have poor people coming to live near them."
The first round of the real presidential race takes place in late April, when the two biggest vote-winners will go through to a decisive second round in early May.
Socialist candidate Francois Hollande is currently leading President Nicolas Sarkozy in the polls.
Cantona has attempted to draw attention to social inequality before. In 2010 he called on French savers to bring down the banks by withdrawing all of their money.
