World Cup 2010: French secretary of state for sport blasts France's World Cup hotel

French secretary of state for sport, Rama Yade, criticised the choice of hotel for the French squad at the World Cup finals as overly luxurious and called for "decency" at a time of general belt-tightening.

Hotel blast: Rama Yade believes Raymond Domenech's France do not deserve their World Cup hotel Photo: AP

"I would not have chosen this hotel. Spain, for example, has chosen a university campus," noted Yade in an interview, alluding to France's hotel inSouth Africa for the World Cup.

"If France goes a long way (in the tournament) the choice of a site offering the best training conditions will appear judicious. But if results do not come up to expectations then those in charge will have some explaining to do," Yade commented.

"I hope that the French team wow us by their results rather than the swankiness of their hotels. I have called on them to show some decency in times of crisis," Yade concluded.

The French, champions in 1998 but who struggled to qualify for this summer's event in South Africa, will stay at the five-star Pezula Resort at Knysna on the shores of the Indian Ocean.

French football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes responded by teling AFP: "What do you want me to say? If the secretary of state says something then she says something. I am not here to make comments on an hotel I do not even know myself - that is not my role."

France will meet Uruguay on the opening night of the tournament in a group also containing hosts South Africa and Mexico.