World Cup 2006 qualifying: Spain's national football coach has apologised for any offence caused by his reference to Thierry Henry as a "black shit", but his Arsenal team-mate, Robert Pires, insisted Luis Aragones should face prosecution for his comments writes Sid Lowe in Madrid.

Aragones claimed not to be a racist despite being caught on camera trying to motivate Jose Antonio Reyes with the harangue, "tell that negro de mierda (black shit) you're better than him", in reference to the Spaniard's Arsenal strike partner.

His protest has cut little ice within the France squad, however, and Pires has demanded action.

"He shouldn't be allowed to get away with it; he should be cornered on this," Pires said. "He should be sued for racial aggression. We should not be nice to him. If this is a joke, it's a weird one."

Aragones said last night: "In the first place I want to clarify that I never intended to offend anyone, and for that reason I have a very easy conscience.

"Second, what I said can only be understood in the context of the team and a training session, in which I am obliged to motivate my players to get the best results.

"As part of that job, I use colloquial language, with which we can all understand each other within the framework of the football world.

"Finally, and understanding the importance that the post of national coach has, I can only apologise to the people who may have been offended, reiterating that it was never my intention to belittle anyone because, among other things, I would be doing as much to many of my friends."

While Aragones's tirade has caused outrage in France and England, the Spanish have rallied around the coach.

The president of the Spanish Football Federation, Angel Maria Villar, insisted: "Luis Aragones is no racist. He is a great professional and it is absurd to think otherwise. He has coached many foreign and coloured players and has always been correct and respectful."

The sports minister, Jaime Lissavietzky, agreed with Villar that the words had been taken out of context, although he conceded that his choice of words was "unfortunate".

Players and managers from all over Spain have lent their support, although there has been no response yet from Samuel Eto'o, the Cameroonian striker who played under Aragones at Mallorca and who calls the 66-year-old "Grandad".

"You lot (the press) have to be careful not to blow things out of proportion," said the Spain defender Michel Salgado. "This was a joke that should have stayed on the training pitch and if things like this happen we're going to end up training behind closed doors."

The Spanish media have also supported Aragones, the reaction mainly one of bemused surprise.

The sports daily Marca interpreted Aragones's words as merely an example of the coach's peculiar style, insisting there was "nothing racist about it".

Meanwhile, Aragones has called up uncapped Atletico Madrid defender Pablo Ibanez to replace the injured Juanito for the World Cup qualifier against Belgium. Juanito limped out of training yesterday with an injury to his left thigh and will be out of action for up to six days.

In the other qualifying match in the Republic of Ireland's group, Israel coach Avraham Grant has dropped Maccabi Tel Aviv goalkeeper Liran Strauber as he finalised his squad for tomorrow's qualifier against Switzerland.

Grant's only injury worry is Maccabi Haifa striker Yaniv Katan, who is suffering from a thigh strain but is expected to be fit to play in Tel Aviv at the weekend.

The coach said he expected his team to deliver three points against the Swiss.

"We are not looking for a draw against Switzerland; we want to win all our home matches," Grant said.

"The Swiss are a strong side with an excellent defence, but there are no defences which can't be broken and we believe we will find a way through."