Paul Pogba has rejected reports he is ready to quit the French national team over comments about Islam’s role in terrorism by the president, Emmanuel Macron.
Reports in the Middle East claimed Pogba had stepped down from national duties over Macron’s description of the murder of French school teacher Samuel Paty as an “Islamic terrorist attack”.
Paty, 47, was targeted for showing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to his students. He was beheaded by 18-year-old Abdullakh Anzorov. Seven people has since been detained by French police.
Macron’s strong speech received backlash in some quarters, with Turkish president Recep Erdogan questioning his French counterpart’s mental state.
But Pogba, who converted to Islam in 2011, rejected the reports on Instagram, posting the caption “fake news” over a headline by The Sun which said he was retiring from international football.
