PARIS — French soccer great Michel Platini dismissed as "absurd" a suggestion by his government to cancel games if fans boo the national anthem.

Platini, president of European soccer's ruling body, insisted that jeers by Tunisia fans during "La Marseillaise" before an exhibition game with France on Tuesday was not an insult to the host country.

On Wednesday, President Nicolas Sarkozy's office denounced the "scandalous incidents" at the Stade de France. The sports minister said future exhibitions would be canceled if fans jeer the anthem, and the interior minister ordered use of stadium video cameras to find those responsible.

"Once again, football has been taken hostage by the political world because this issue of whistles has become a political affair that has nothing to do with sport," Platini said in an interview with Le Monde published Friday. "If we start stopping a match because there are whistles, then in that case, we should also stop it as soon as a player gets whistled at, or when the goalie gets booed after a clearance. It's absurd."

France, a former colonial ruler of Tunisia, has many residents of North African descent. Tunisia fans appeared to outnumber home fans at the game in Saint-Denis, outside Paris.

For Platini, the jeers were nothing more than a display of fans wanting Tunisia to win.

"I'm certain that some of these same youths who whistled 'La Marseillaise' Tuesday evening sing the national anthem when France plays a Euro or World Cup match," he said.

Platini said he supports FIFA and UEFA rules that say a game can be stopped in some cases, such as racist displays.

"But it's not up to a political authority to decide," he said.

Platini, a former captain of the French team, played for his country from 1977 to 1987. He said that in his day, the French national anthem drew whistles "on every field ... but at the time, politicians didn't pay any attention to football and it didn't shock anyone."