Political football: Does the team of ethnic diversity of France offer solutions to racism?

When Emmanuel Macro travels to St. Petersburg to see France's match against Belgium in the World Cup semifinal, it is known that France's football mania could offer capital for politics.

For the last time and only time France won the World Cup 20 years ago in 1998, the popularity of the troubled right president, Jacques Chirac, increased despite the fact that he knew the names of not half the team.

Even before Tuesday night's meeting, 40-year-old Macron, who is having a hard time getting rid of the label “president of the wealthy”, has presented himself as a fanatic fan. He has told of the support he has for the team from the south of France, Olymplique Marseille, in a sports telefision, addressing the French national with confidence on a visit. He had also talked about his childhood: “I played as a left-wing protector. I was dangerous, though not so clever. In the field, I was the type of player who tried to motivate others. ”

If France were to win the cup, it would have been very adaptable to the pro-business Makron slogan: “France has returned”.

But separate from politics, the new and ethnically different French team has already increased the nation's mood. Commentators have described “Les Bleus”, one of the newest teams in the tournament, as the available “good, pleasant and foot-to-ground”.

As France's state still tries to address racial discrimination and high inequality in local areas, France's national team has been praised for the appearance of a true soul banlieue (circular area): showing the new generation's high ambitions in the periphery areas supported by their families.

A large number of the best players come from these banlieues outside Paris and have started their sports career in fantastic youth teams, which have witnessed as fertile land for talent finders.

The 19-year-old shooter and national hero Kylian Mbppe is from Bondy in Senine-Sant-Deins, north of Paris, where he was the star of the local club. His father, of Camerunian background, once played for the same local team. His mother, of Algerian descent, was a professional handball player. His family is the main consultant, and he is funding money from international charity matches that organise different sports for hendicep children.

Paul Pogba also comes from an area outside Paris. Ngolo Kante (who inspired the slogan “Yes we Kante! ”) was born in Paris but started a career for a club in the suburbs.

For the quarterfinal against Uruguay, Macron had invited young teenage players from clubs and periphery schools to watch the match with him in the garden of the Elisee Palace, while he was sitting in the bar with them.

Writer Abdourahman A Waber said that the nation's strong support for Mbupchen <x0fmia from Bondy” and fellow nationals have already scored victories against the extreme anti-imgration stance of Marine Le Penny and French right-wing intellectuals who dominate certain parts of the media.

The issue of ethnic diversity and a football team reflecting society has been historically important in France. But 20 years ago in 1998, when Zinedine Zidane's team gave an answer to the diseases of French society, it demonstrated that the wonders of one night as a solution to the country's racist issues were not working.

“Politicians thought they had solved all problems through football,” said Moulud Auni, of the anti-racism campaign later. In fact, the effect lasted only as long as the fireworks. ”

Four years after the team's World Cup victory, right-wing candidate Jean-Marie Le Penh complained there were many black players on the team he succeeded in the final round in the 2002 presidential elections. In 2005, when two teenagers, Zyed Benna and Bouna Traor, were executed until they were hiding in northern Paris, people in the suburbs were led to demonstrations and caused the worst riots for 40 years. In 2011, French football was in crisis following claims that its officials had tried to limit the number of Arab and black players in youth training schemes in order to make the national team whiteer.

France's former Socialist President Francois Hollande last month warned politicians not to expect answers from sports to political problems. He said of the success of 1998: “We wanted to draw the conclusion that this victory would change French society. He didn't change it. This only depends on politicians.” /Periscopi