France And England To Play Emotional Friendly At Wembley Stadium
France and England are set to play an emotional friendly tonight at Wembley Stadium despite earlier reports that the match had been called off. In the wake of the heinous Paris attacks on Friday night that occurred during a friendly with Germany, the French football federation issued a statement that Tuesday’s date with England was cancelled. Perhaps with the potential healing nature of sport in mind, both teams agreed to carry on with the friendly with the emotion of such a tragedy hanging over the occasion.
England boss Roy Hodgson spoke ahead of the match and admitted that this would not be a “normal friendly”. He told the BBC, “I can’t deny there’s something hanging over which is far, far greater than a football match,”That will be lingering whether we like it or not. I’ve never been in a football game like this before.”
France manager Didier Deschamps also spoke to the media regarding the match and said:
"“We are here to represent our country and its colours blue, white and red with even more pride than we normally would. It has been a difficult, stressful time, but we have been together and each of us, in our way, has kept up to date with the events. Each player and individual has dealt with this in their own way. The main thing is that we have kept together and shared our grief.”Source: BBC"
The French squad was personally affected by the attacks as midfielder Lassana Diarra lost a relative and forward Antoine Griezmann’s sister was at the Bataclan theater where one of the attacks was carried out. Both players, and the team as a whole, will surely be playing this match with a heavy heart as the tragedies have hit so close to home. It is a testament to their will as people to carry on in the wake of such horror and the same can be said of the French people as a whole.
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It almost seems silly to discuss football in the wake this past weekend’s attacks but such is the nature of the world and the nature of humanity. We endure tragedies and loss and the best way to show that we are unaffected by terror is to honor the memory of the lives lost and carry on with life. We can seek solace from tragedy through sport but we never forget those who were lost.
This match is eerily reminiscent of American sports in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks. Americans looked for anything to distract them from the tragedy of current events and were able to find that in the realm of sports. Teams and leagues all over the country made emotional tributes to the victims of the attacks and they have done the same all over Europe and in the United States.
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This evening’s friendly will be so much more than a football match. It will be a 90 minute tribute to the 129 victims, the countless first responders, and the brave souls that helped minimize the death toll such as Zouheir, the Stade de France security guard who kept a suicide bomber from entering the stadium. Regardless of the result of the match, which has become increasingly irrelevant, it will be a testament to the resilience of the French people and humanity as a whole.