Will Les Bleus boost France at Euro 2016?
This article by , Senior Lecturer in French, Head of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, was originally published on . Read the .
The victory of a racially diverse French football team in the France 鈥�98 World Cup was heralded as a sign of a tolerant modern France. Almost two decades on, and a very different vision is emerging as France prepares to host the 2016 European Championships.
Last month, Eric Cantona controversially suggested that national coach Didier Deschamps may have omitted Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa from France鈥檚 Euro 2016 squad . In an interview with Spanish sports newspaper Marca, Benzema also accused Deschamps of 鈥済iving into pressure from 鈥�, while comedian and actor Jamel Debbouze Benzema and Ben Arfa were 鈥減aying for the social situation of France today鈥�.
But do Cantona鈥檚 claims stand up to scrutiny? Dominique Sopo, head of French anti-racist organisation SOS-Racisme, accused Benzema of 鈥渆gotistically鈥� taking an interest in . Former France player and 1998 World Cup winner Marcel Desailly and French Football Federation branded Cantona鈥檚 claims as 鈥溾��. Deschamps has threatened legal action.
Arguably, it is actually Ben Arfa rather than Benzema who is more unlucky to have been left out. Despite a somewhat wayward career, Ben Arfa has been one of the stars of France鈥檚 Ligue 1 with Nice this year. His 18 goals and seven assists played a big role in the largely unfancied team finishing fourth.
In purely sporting terms, Benzema may also feel unlucky after scoring 28 goals for Real Madrid this season. But he is also a player who has not always reproduced his .
In addition, he has also been making headlines for off-field matters after allegations 鈥� yet to be heard in court 鈥� that he was involved in attempts to blackmail international teammate Mathieu Valbuena . While the French Football Federation has said that 鈥渟porting performance is an important factor 鈥� when it comes to selecting the squad, it that the allegations were not damaging to the sport鈥檚 image in the run-up to the championship.
A beautiful game?
The 鈥渁ffaire Benzema鈥� reminds of previous controversies that have tainted the French national football team. In 2011, senior figures from the French Football Federation reportedly discussed of black and North African players in training academies. Then national team boss Laurent Blanc was part of the discussions, but .
One may well ask what has gone wrong for the French football team since 1998. In the short term, their success continued with victory in the 2000 European Championships. Since then, problems have surfaced both on and off the pitch.
The celebrating of the 鈥渂lack, blanc, beur team鈥� of 1998 glossed over certain realities. The West African, white European and North African roots of the team masked divisions within France. Indeed, there was much talk of 鈥渓a fracture sociale鈥� (social division) in 1990s France.
When France defended their World Cup title in 2002, they were eliminated in the first round. This was also the year when the Front National鈥檚 Jean-Marie Le Pen by reaching the second round of France鈥檚 presidential elections.
With the exception of the , France have arguably disappointed at all the major finals they have reached from 2002 onwards. Teams have displayed potential but not the overall cohesion and individual flair of the 1998 generation.
Criticism from all corners
The behaviour of French footballers has also been criticised by politicians and journalists on several occasions. This reached a peak at the 2010 World Cup when the French squad following the exclusion of Nicolas Anelka for insulting team boss Raymond Domenech. Players have subsequently been under pressure to both perform on the pitch and behave off the pitch.
However, tense relations between the French football team and the media can be . Even in 1998, national team boss Aim茅 Jacquet was frustrated at the negativity of sports paper L'Equipe preceding the tournament.
In 2012, French football magazine So Foot argued that France was a 鈥渃ountry that has never understood anything about football鈥� to explain 鈥渨hy France 鈥�. These comments may sound sensationalist, but many French intellectuals and politicians showed little interest in football prior to 1998.
After 2015 was bookended by the in January 2015 and last November, French morale is clearly in need of a lift. The Stade de France, as a location in the latter attack, takes on a particular significance as it hosts the opening and closing games.
Some may ask if the current generation of French footballers is capable of providing the nation with this lift. However, this is perhaps not the right question to ask. Instead, it is worth considering to what extent footballers should be held responsible for the national mood in such troubling times.
French footballers are at times easy scapegoats and their behaviour has not always been impeccable in recent years. However, focusing on their misdemeanours risks diverting attention away from social, political and economic challenges that France is facing.
Publication date: 13 June 2016