World Cup: Macron intervened to ask French team to greet fans, says federation
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French national football team players greeting supporters at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris on Monday.
PHOTO: AFP
PARIS – President Emmanuel Macron intervened to ask France’s footballers to greet fans after their defeat in the World Cup final, leading to a brief public ceremony, the French football federation chief said on Tuesday.
France’s players initially wanted to head straight home on Monday after their 4-2 loss on penalties to Argentina the previous evening, the head of the French Football Federation, Noel le Graet, told AFP in a statement.
“Under the weight of the disappointment, the sadness and such strong emotions, I understood this choice and I respected it,” he said.
“The situation changed around 10am (on Monday) after an exchange with the President, who wanted a moment of communion. Naturally, I accepted along with the team,” he added.
After a confusing day of contradictory statements, the French players eventually appeared for a few minutes on Monday evening on the balcony of the five-star Hotel de Crillon at the historic Place de la Concorde.
Fans waiting for France’s footballers at the Place de la Concorde in Paris on Monday.
Around 50,000 people packed the public square to wave, cheer and sing the national anthem, many having waited for more than four hours in the dark and cold.
Despite a mostly festive atmosphere, some in the crowd grumbled that the players were barely visible as they waved regally from the balcony behind a wide police cordon.
Several French players said they were delighted by the sight of the crowd. “Frankly, it’s magnificent, it warms the heart, it’s a great pleasure to see that we were able to make so many French people proud and happy,” forward Marcus Thuram told TF1 TV.
Goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris told TF1 that it was a chance to “greet them (the fans), to thank them for their support and, after yesterday’s pain, to seek their consolation”.
Reaction in France has been overwhelmingly supportive of the national team, who came close to retaining the World Cup (the score was 3-3 after extra time) despite a series of injuries to senior players such as Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and a virus in the camp last week.
However, forward Kingsley Coman and midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni have been subjected to online racial abuse after missing their penalties in the shoot-out, the BBC reported on Monday.
The FFF tweeted that it “will lodge a complaint against the authors of those remarks”.
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez saved Coman’s effort from the spot and Tchouameni fired wide.
Coman’s club Bayern Munich have posted a message of support for the 26-year-old, condemning the racist comments made towards him. “The FC Bayern family is behind you, King. Racism has no place in sport or our society,” they said on Twitter.
The incident follows the abuse aimed at England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after the Euro 2020 final defeat against Italy. All three players missed their penalties in the shoot-out and were targeted on social media following the game.
Meanwhile, Mr Macron’s performance at the final at the Lusail Stadium outside Doha on Sunday has sparked almost as much commentary as that of the team.
The 44-year-old football fan could be seen jumping from his seat during the game before descending to console the distraught players at the end as they crumpled to the turf following the shoot-out.
He then delivered a post-game pep talk in the changing room, leading to criticism from some quarters that he was intruding too much into the team’s space.
“You’re an amazing team,” Macron told the players, pounding his fist in his hand for effect. “No other team would have got here and come back on two occasions and being so close to winning it.
“You had the heart, the hunger, the desire and the talent to get here and that’s why I wanted to come and say thank you,” he added, according to a video posted on his social media accounts.
But far-right opposition MP Sebastien Chenu told the LCI channel: “It was a bit disturbing to see him stuck like glue to (Kylian) Mbappe.”
“We must not politicise sport,” the incoming leader of the ultra-left France Unbowed party Manuel Bompard, wrote ironically on Twitter, using a phrase used by the president himself on Nov 11. AFP, REUTERS
