By Andrew Warshaw
November 18 – It isn’t often that home fans belt out the opposition national anthem but supporters of England and France staged an unprecedented display of emotion and unity Tuesday in a prestige friendly at Wembley where the football itself took very much a back seat.
The two countries, so often fierce sporting adversaries, came together like never before in mutual defiance following last Friday’s Paris terrorist attack that killed 129 people.
Wembley was lit up in the blue, white and red of the French flag and before the game fans impeccably observed a minute’s silence. Among the many tributes hoisted aloft, some read ‘Pray for Paris’.
England manager Roy Hodgson said the French themselves wanted to the match to take place. “They were very keen that the game should go ahead just to make certain that the terrorists don’t win,” he said. “It was a very poignant occasion and we achieved all the things we wanted to achieve in the remembrance. An act of defiance was better than the other alternative,”
The players were led on to the pitch by Prince William, president of the English FA, and the two team managers, Hodgson and France’s Didier Deschamps who each carried wreaths. Thirteen of the French squad of 23 either currently play or have previously played their club football in England and the French motto of ‘Liberté, égalité, fraternité’ was emblazoned across the ground.
Although England’s young experimental team notched up an impressive 2-0 win, the occasion will be remembered more as a symbolic gesture of respect than for the action on the pitch.
Arsenal’s French defender Laurent Koscielny said: “It was important for everybody that we played, for those who were watching us and for the victims. I know the English, they have a lot of respect for the French, we saw that tonight.”
Deschamps said France “felt grateful” for the “very heartfelt, special, moving, grandiose moment”.
“We have had a moment of communal grief and this has been good for us. There was a sporting meaning and a sporting dimension, but on a human level the match had far greater importance. We had desire and will but all things considered the human aspect was maybe more important tonight.”
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