A French hissy fit of epic proportions
Last night France played Tunisia at football in a friendly. France won.
However, those naughty beurs opted to boo La Marseillaise, and the French authorities are not all happy about it. That they might have a fit of pique is understandable, but instead they have opted for the Wrath of God:
"If our national anthem is booed during a match, all friendly games with the country concerned wil be suspended for an indefinite period". And that's from the Minister of Sport, Roselyne Bachelot.
Her CV does not suggest she is particularly athletic, but she is 62 and also the minister of youth affairs (hauling out the pressure hoses?) and health. She looks almost as artificially orange as Peter Hain though.
She also wants the French Football federation to 'intensify public information campaigns and sporting education', while her colleague Michèle Alliot-Marie wants the prefect of Seine St Denis to tell the procurer of Bobigny '“that insults to the national anthem constitute an offence”. I'm sure he or she will be delighted with that reminder.
Guys - or rather gals - booing anthems, teams etc is all part of the rough and tumble of the game, especially in France, and none of this action is going to persuade youth of Mahgrebi origin to join in the anthem with gusto, or even keep schtumm for five minutes.
However, those naughty beurs opted to boo La Marseillaise, and the French authorities are not all happy about it. That they might have a fit of pique is understandable, but instead they have opted for the Wrath of God:
"If our national anthem is booed during a match, all friendly games with the country concerned wil be suspended for an indefinite period". And that's from the Minister of Sport, Roselyne Bachelot.
Her CV does not suggest she is particularly athletic, but she is 62 and also the minister of youth affairs (hauling out the pressure hoses?) and health. She looks almost as artificially orange as Peter Hain though.
She also wants the French Football federation to 'intensify public information campaigns and sporting education', while her colleague Michèle Alliot-Marie wants the prefect of Seine St Denis to tell the procurer of Bobigny '“that insults to the national anthem constitute an offence”. I'm sure he or she will be delighted with that reminder.
Guys - or rather gals - booing anthems, teams etc is all part of the rough and tumble of the game, especially in France, and none of this action is going to persuade youth of Mahgrebi origin to join in the anthem with gusto, or even keep schtumm for five minutes.
Labels: France, this sporting life
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 2:15 pm.
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glad to see they are dealing with the really important matters of state.
Yeah, there does seem to be a vast outbreak of doing something, or rather doing anything at the moment. Must be contagious.
The French can dish it out, but cannot take it.
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