US-based South African comedian Trevor Noah has become involved in a spat with the French ambassador to the US, Gerard Araud, over the identity of the French football team which won the World Cup.

Noah said he received a letter from Mr Araud after joking on his The Daily Show that "Africa won the World Cup".

Mr Araud wrote that "nothing could be less true". The "great majority" of the payers were born and educated in France, and were "proud of their country - France".

A total of 14 of the 23 players in the French squad can trace their heritage back to Africa

"The rich and various background of the players is a reflection of France's diversity," Noah quoted Mr Araud as saying, before quipping that it was in fact a reflection of France's "colonialism".

Mr Araud said that France, unlike the US, did not believe in "hyphenated" identities.

"By calling them an African team, it seems you are denying their Frenchness," Mr Araud said in the letter posted on Twitter by the French embassy:

On @TheDailyShow , @Trevornoah called the @FrenchTeam 's World Cup win an "African victory." Read Ambassador @GerardAraud 's response: pic.twitter.com/KR0kFOxDOw

— French Embassy U.S. (@franceintheus) July 18, 2018

In his response, Noah said that black people "all over the world were celebrating the Africanness of the French team - not in a negative way but in a rather positive way".

He vehemently disagreed with the view that people could not be French and African at the same time.

"Why is that duality afforded only to a select group?" he asked, adding he did not believe that "to be French you have to erase everything that is African".

"And if French people are saying they cannot be both, then I think they have a problem and not me," he added.

You can watch Noah's detailed response here:

The French ambassador to the U.S. @GerardAraud criticized Trevor for congratulating Africa on France”™s World Cup victory. Trevor responds #BetweenTheScenes: pic.twitter.com/5nJklXRyY8

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) July 19, 2018