Zidane says "unfounded accusations have been made against Laurent Blanc," according to French daily L'Equipe, which published online excerpts of an interview it will run in Sunday's newspaper.

"I know him well. Of course he's not a racist," said Zidane, who was Blanc's teammate in France's 1998 World Cup winning squad.

The allegations follow a discussion at the French Football Federation in November on the issue of players' dual nationality.

Ouest-France newspaper claimed on Saturday that Blanc had tendered his resignation, a claim later denied by the FFF.