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England vs France: French players were not asked about playing Wembley match after Paris terror attacks

French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet took the decision to play himself in an act of unity and defiance against those who committed the terror attacks last Friday

Jack de Menezes
Monday 16 November 2015 09:03 GMT
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FFF president Noel Le Graet did not consult the Franch players over the decision to play England
FFF president Noel Le Graet did not consult the Franch players over the decision to play England

The decision for France to travel to Wembley today and face England in tomorrow’s international friendly was made without consulting any of the players or the national team manager Didier Deschamps, it has been revealed.

French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet admitted that he took the decision himself in an act of defiance after Paris was hit by several terrorist attacks on Friday night, which has left at least 129 people dead and many more critically injured.

The Stade de France was one of those locations targeted with at least three bombs being set off outside the stadium as France took on Germany. The players and fans were kept in the national stadium after the final whistle as news filtered through of the attacks, with two separate blasts being heard during the live broadcast of the match.

France midfielder Lassana Diarra revealed on Saturday that his cousin, Asta Diakite, was one of those who died in the attacks, while his international team-mate Antoine Griezmann admitted his sister was one of the lucky ones who escaped the siege at the Bataclan theatre where at least 89 people were killed by gunmen who attacked an Eagles of Death Metal concert.

However, both Diarra and Griezmann will travel to London with the rest of the squad today, but The Times reports that some members of the squad are deeply unhappy with the failure to consult them over the decision to play.

The Football Association left the decision to the FFF over whether the game would go ahead or not, but the expectation was that it would be cancelled and there was an element of surprise that it will go ahead when the FFF made their decision – one that has been made in an act of defiance against the terrorists who launched the shocking attacks on the French capital.

Landmarks light up for Paris

“The players had nothing to do with the fact that this game will take place,” Le Graet said at the weekend. “It is me alone who made the call. Then I informed Deschamps around midday [on Saturday].”

Deschamps, who lifted the World Cup trophy when France won the competition on home soil in 1998, will address the terror attacks later today when he holds his first press conference since Friday’s tragic events.

It’s added that the players are also unhappy with the lack of time they have been given to see family members and friends, with the squad made to train on Saturday at the team’s Clarefontein base an hour south of Paris, as well as completing another session on Sunday.

France manager Didier Deschamps will address the media on Monday

It’s believed that certain members of the squad have labelled the decision to play “disrespectful” given that French president Francois Hollande declared three days of national mourning as well as a state of emergency.

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