The France team were en route to training when news emerged that the far right in the French elections had been defeated. Happiness and relief coursed through a group of young sportsmen who had taken it upon themselves to speak out in favour of the legendary national motto of “liberté, égalité, fraternité”. It took courage and confidence to tackle such a sensitive issue so publicly. The response to the election result from within the camp spoke volumes about how profound it has been for their message to have arguably helped swing the vote.
Ousmane Dembele simply posted a photograph of his broad smile. Marcus Thuram, whose father Lilian has always been outspoken on the issue of racism and inclusivity, posted rousing words on Instagram: “Long live diversity, long live la Republique, long live France. The fight continues.” Jules Kounde and Aurelien Tchouameni also saw fit to wear their heart on their sleeve.
There is no doubt that the French players have gone through an experience they will remember. Being in your 20s, on public display, taking on a cause of national significance, calmly and intelligently rallying against a part of the population that diminishes your status within your own country and eventually feeling you might have actually been a trigger for positive change — that’s big stuff. As Kounde said: “The relief is equal to the worry in recent weeks, it is immense.”
Parisians gather to celebrate the election results at Place de la Republique (Remon Haazen/Getty Images)
Kylian Mbappe had urged the public to vote and appealed in particular to the youth of France, warning against the dangers of extreme and divisive ideas. How must those players have felt watching the pictures coming through of young people crying in celebration as the election results assuaged their worst fears?
Liberty, equality and fraternity. The keep-politics-out-of-sport drum was drowned out emphatically within the French squad in Germany. Who knows, perhaps this outcome can help free up the team on the pitch somehow. Performances have been inhibited and reserved at this European Championship, but sometimes external factors can be a notable driving force, sometimes the private conversations and sensibilities within the confines of the group can create momentum.
🇫🇷Les sympathisants de La France insoumise réunis place Stalingrad à #Paris explosent de joie à l’annonce des résultats du second tour des élections législatives. pic.twitter.com/X2QN9yWNHf
— TV5MONDE Info (@TV5MONDEINFO) July 7, 2024
That was an undeniable factor the last time Germany hosted an international football tournament. Italy arrived at the 2006 World Cup smothered by the stench of scandal. The entire fabric of Italian football was entangled in the Calciopoli affair, when tapped telephone calls revealed that Luciano Moggi, then Juventus’ key administrator, was pulling match-fixing strings. Thirteen members of the Italy squad came from the four clubs implicated in the scandal. Marcello Lippi, the coach, was a long-time associate of Moggi and their sons worked together for a company that was under investigation. All in all it was a rancid, corrupt crisis and it completely dominated all the discourse around the Azzurri. Honestly, nobody was asking questions about the formation.
In the end Italy imposed what is traditionally called a “silenzio stampa”, a media shutdown as such, and it was considered best for the squad to exist in a state of siege mentality. There was nothing for it but to stick together and try to win matches to save their footballing souls. They had a cause within the camp, and their focus was on winning at all costs. Were Italy the outstanding team at the 2006 World Cup? Not necessarily. But they created a single-minded winning mentality which drove them on and on.
Captain Fabio Cannavaro led a steely defensive resilience which was the backbone of Italy’s run. They conceded only once until they reached the final — and that was Cristian Zaccardo’s own goal against the United States in the group stages. The thing Italy had in 2006 that France haven’t yet discovered in 2024 is a capacity to score even when not being the most beautiful team to watch (unless you are a lover of the art of defending). They had unlimited determination to find a way, and that in itself was at times breathtaking. Watch those emotionally-drenched goals to defeat the hosts in the semi-final for evidence of that.
Sometimes it takes a push from matters outside the pitch to give a team that extra impetus. Didier Deschamps’ team will need an injection of something to find that extra quality for the contest ahead, particularly as Spain on the pitch are the most compelling and complete team of the tournament so far. France remain belligerent. They are yet to concede a goal from open play. It won’t be a surprise to see firm resistance as the platform for their game plan for the semi-final.
Do they have extra motivation? We will see. What we do know is that this French team are proudly symbolic of multi-culturalism. Want to ask them if they look at each other and query how French their team-mate is? That wouldn’t be recommended. Their France is a band of footballers mostly born and raised in the country they represent. (There are a few exceptions: Thuram, for example, was born in Italy while his father played there and Eduardo Camavinga was born in Angola.) Their collective roots include nations across Africa, the Caribbean, and stretch to the Philippines and French Guiana, a Creole outpost in South America. They also have ancestry across Europe, with Antoine Griezmann’s German and Portuguese descendants, and Olivier Giroud’s from Italy.
This young, modern team has more to express at this European Championship.
(Top photo: Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
