Speaking in French sports daily L'Equipe on Monday, Berbizier questioned Laportes ability to lead France to World Cup success on home soil in October.

The former France captain, who also coached Les Bleus between 1991 and 1995, claims that compared to Aime Jacquet - who led the French football team to World Cup glory in 1998 - Laporte does not have the charisma and personality to help the national team lift the much-coveted trophy.

'There was the 'Jacquet effect' back then,' Berbizier declared.

'I do hope that France will be crowned world champion but, like many people, I have my doubts.

'Do we really know what we are doing? We know that there is a World Cup coming up and many people believe that because it takes place in France, it's going to be like in 1998.

'The only conviction I have about this World Cup is that it will be a great popular success in the country.'

Berbizier also criticised Laporte's management of the team during the 2003 World Cup - where the French were eliminated in the semi-finals at the hands of champions England - and most recently, during Les Bleus' catastrophic Autumn Test matches, which saw Laporte's men suffer a 47-3 thrashing by New Zealand.

'The players are not the priority whereas the coach is at the heart of the problems,' added Berbizier.

'The right questions are not raised.'

About the 2003 World Cup he added: 'We had a great forward line capable of destroying all our rivals but we lost our strength in the most important moments.

'We talked too much and did not work enough and in the end we lost the World Cup.'

Berbizier, who led France to a third-place finish in the 1995 World Cup and has been Italy's boss since April 2005, also believes he could do better than Laporte.

'Without being envious of Bernard Laporte, I have never seen so many resources put at the French team's disposal,' he added.

'I would have liked to have as many back in 1995. But being given all the existing resources to be a success is one thing, using them properly is another.'