Noel Le Graet, President of the French Football Federation, revealed, on Tuesday, that Emmanuel Macron, President of France, intervened to ask the French national team players to meet the fans, after their defeat in the 2022 World Cup Qatar final against Argentina, on Sunday.
Le Graet said in a statement to Agence France-Presse: “The players initially wanted to return directly to their homes on Monday after losing on penalties 4-2 Sunday in a dramatic final that ended 3-3 in the regular and extra time, under the weight of disappointment, sadness and these difficult feelings, I understood this.” The choice was respected.
And he continued, “The situation changed at around ten o’clock in the morning, Monday, after a conversation with the president, who wanted a moment of communication with the masses. Naturally, the team and I accepted that.”
After a day of contradictory statements, the players finally appeared for a few minutes on Monday evening on the balcony of the luxurious Hotel Crillon in the historic “La Concorde” square.
About 50,000 people thronged the public square waving, cheering and singing the national anthem, many waiting for more than four hours in the dark and cold.
Despite the festive atmosphere, some complained that the players were barely visible as they waved from the balcony behind the police cars.
Many French players were delighted with the crowd’s spectacle.
“Honestly, it’s a wonderful sight, it warms the heart,” striker Marcus Thuram told TF1. “It gives us great pleasure to see that we were able to make so many French people proud and happy.”
Reactions in France were overwhelmingly supportive of the national team, which was close to retaining its world title despite a string of injuries to top players such as Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema.
Macron’s outbursts in Sunday’s final at Lusail Stadium also drew a lot of comment, and the 44-year-old was seen jumping from his seat during the match before descending to comfort the stunned players at the end as they fell to the ground after the penalty shootout.
He then gave a motivational speech after the match in the dressing room, which led to criticism from some opponents and local pundits that he entered too much space for the national team.
