Cantona’s ‘bid for presidency’ a ruse to promote better housing

The stunt exhibited his trademark unorthodoxy and media savvy, and got France’s political class talking, briefly, about public housing. But the method raised some eyebrows.

French newspaper Liberation released a letter on its website suggesting Cantona wanted to run for president. It was an appeal to mayors around France for 500 signatures of support “in the framework of the political debate that the country is involved in”.

France holds presidential elections in April and May, and to get on the ballot, candidates must first gather signatures of 500 mayors.

For hours, French airwaves filled with debate by commentators and fans over the potential candidacy of the 45-year-old Cantona, considered one of English football’s greatest ever imports.

Then the same newspaper published an interview in which he explained that what he wants is for the real presidential candidates to support the Fondation Abbe Pierre, a respected foundation working to house the poor.

The foundation’s director said the Cantona “campaign” was an intentional ruse aimed at capturing public attention. “We told ourselves we needed an extra kick” for a petition urging presidential candidates to make housing a campaign priority, Patrick Doutreligne explained. The petition calls on the next president to regulate rent and property prices, build more public housing and other measures.

So, Mr Doutreligne said, the foundation asked Cantona, a sometime actor who played himself in Ken Loach’s 2009 film Looking for Eric, to pretend to be a presidential candidate for a limited time, and then to announce that he was seeking support for better housing.

“He will not be a candidate,” he said.