Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda says the French public should have rallied around Thierry Henry after his World Cup hand-ball controversy.

Former Arsenal legend Henry was branded a cheat for his handball goal, which put the French through at the expense of the Republic of Ireland.

And Malouda said: "I am not proud of Thierry's handball. But I regret the fact that French people are not chauvinistic like the English.

"He is the captain of the French team, and we ought to have defended him more. He found himself isolated and it created a split.

"Even ourselves, the players, should have shown a bit more solidarity with him."