World Cup 2006: France team - “black, black, black”

I don't know about you, but I can sure see alot of color in this picture...

France is in the semifinals of the world cup! I watched the game yesterday on a small TV in a sandwich Grec restaurant. One thing I noticed is that the France team has ALOT of black people on it. At any given time out of the 11 people on the field, 8 of the French players are of African descent.  Out of the 22 players on the team, 13 are of African descent. This makes France almost like an African team in the second degree. I love this! But I’m not the only one who loves the French team. Based on how crazy and passionate the French fans were for their team, nobody could say that they did not identify with this multi-cultural national team.

Although French fans obviously love their team, it has faced some criticism because of its racial composition. Just recently, the far right French presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen said that he felt French people did not fully identify with their national soccer team because there may be too many "players of colour". Lilian Thuram, a black defender on the French team, quickly put him in his place. In an interview right after the 2005 riots, French intellectual Alain Finkielkraut called the French soccer team, “black, black, black,” because of its racial composition. This was an obviously racially insensitive term that played on the unifying slogan of 1998-“Black, Blanc, Beur.”

When France won the World Cup in 1998, the running slogan for the team and the nation was “Black, Blanc and Beur,” which means Black, White and Arab. The team gained this slogan because of its diverse team of Arabs, Blacks, and Whites, which also reflected France’s own country. Zinedane Zine, a French of Algerian origin, led the team. Lilian Thuram, a French of Carribean descent who grew up in the suburbs of Paris, led the defense and even scored two goals in the semifinals.

Other foreign teams and coaches have even commented on France’s lack of seeming “French” players (even though everybody on the team is French). In October 2004 Spanish national coach Luis Aragones was caught on camera referring to French forward Thierry Henry as a “black (expletive).” In response, Thierry Henry launched the “Stand up, Speak up” campaign against racism in soccer.

If France wins the world cup, I am sure nobody will be complaining.

Comments

[Jo Ann]

I don't know if you watched the game against Spain, Patrick Vieira almost made the Spanish coach shut up (I guess he really did). And if you see, half of the Black/Mixed (is there any Mixed?) are from the West Indies, so not only of African descent (when I mean that, I go to parents and grand-parents, not ancient times). There's even a Vikash of Indian descent, I believe of one of the islands of the Indian Ocean, not sure. Le Pen is furious of course. Even the new (White) star (Ribéry) converted himself to Islam to get married (his wife was shown a few times).
I like that team.

[Kiratiana]

Thanks Jo Ann. That is really amazing that Ribery converted to Islam for his wife. That may explain a little bit why the camera is ALWAYS turning to his wife. Aren't there other players who have wives too?

Also, I want to explain why France's multicultural team gives my so much pride. As we all know, America was beat in the qualifying rounds. Therefore I can't root for them. Thus, after national pride, I choose my teams based on ancestral pride. As an African-American, all I know is that my roots are somewhere in Africa, like many of the French players. Some of those players know their roots and some don't (namely those from the West Indies). It would kind of be like a German-American rooting for Germany because of the obvious connection.

I did have a conflict with Brazil and France. I lived in Brazil for five months and I LOVE Brazilian culture...but since they lost...it's all about France right now.

[Jo Ann]

Ha! I become schyzo when the Cup begins! This year, Angola (my home country) participated for the first time! So, it was number one. Then, since I am kid, and as an Angolan, we are linked to Brazil (slave past, afro-brazilian traditions/ religions/ food, etc). So Brazil is my favourite. Then France, because I always support the country I live in. I can't stand the Portuguese in spite of my family, so I jump to the German team (cause I also have German descent). So you see, I am totally schyzo at the end of the competition! :P
(That's cause I didn't put the African teams in the middle. If the other team isn't a favourite, go Panafrica. :P)

[dreamgirlafrica]

Bye Bye Brazil ! lmao

No I joke

[nyc/caribbeanragazza]

Love your blog. Curious about your statement most of the West Indian players don't know their roots. Do they only acknowledge their french citizenship? The West Indians I know in America have a very strong connection to their islands and therefore feel connected to the motherland. It's in the blood. When I am on the island where my family is from and the overwhelming majority of the residents are black, I see the african influence, in the language, music and art more so than living in Los Angeles.

[Jo Ann]

You must remember that not every Black person "cares" (don't know if that's the word) of the concept of "Motherland". Many West Indians are only West Indians and nothing else matters. Some are West Indians before being French, but are French before asking for any kind of root.
I know better my German tree than my African one. And I was born in Angola.
That really depends on the person.

[Rachel S]

I wrote about a similar subject....but it wasn't the French team it was the Ecuadorians. The African teams didn't do so well, but there were still a mot of Black players on the top teams.

[Rachel S]

a lot of not a mot of

[Peggy B]

Hello there! I came across your blog by accident and now, I'm going to be looking for it regularly. Great topics; just right up my alley, since I'm also a black woman living abroad!

[Ondo Lady]

Hi, I find your blog very interesting. I agree that France like Holland and England have a lot of Black players which I think is great because it shows how far the game has moved on. However one thing that perplexes me is how the majority of these players do not choose Black women as their partners. Aside from Patrick Vieria, all the Black African players are with white women and with Holland only Floyd Hasselbank and Winston Borgarde were with sisters. Over here in the UK it is a joke because when the English football team were out in Germany for the World Cup a lot of attention (I am talking front pages of newspapers) was given to the partners of the players. In fact the press went as far as to dub the wives and girlfriend, Wags. Do you know what all the Black press were asking? "Where are the Black Wags?" There weren't any, all the Black players in the English team had a white partner. I find it really hard to respect those guys when it seems like that would not give a sister a second look and I find it equally hard to take them seriously when the complain of racism.

[LazyNinja]

Peggy B , you have hit the nail in the head.
I think Makelele has a black wife too. But all the rest of them have white wives.
Maybe white women are attract to black athletes more than black women? If you look at african americans , there goes the same thing.

[lr]

This in not going to be politically correct …

But sorry not everyone is comfortable with the French (?) football team. It is probably popular and amuses arabs and black people, but it is not going down too well with most people in France and throughout Europe.

What next ?
The Chinese football team being made up of 5 black africans, 5 Brazilians and 1 Chinese ?

Or maybe Saudi Arabia football team being made up of 11 "White Christian Europeans" ?

I was at a bar in Lyon watching Italy's all “White Caucasian Italians” beat France's predominantly black team in the 2006 world cup final.

I could easily understand why the Italians are GENUINELY PROUD of their Italian team.

Whereas quiet a few of the “white” French who where at the bar, made it clear that they where not very comfortable or feeling too patriotic with their so called French team. Especially as a large contingent of France’s players where born overseas.

There was a lot of sniggering during the game, when watching one black player being replaced by another black player.

The national team's overall impact on France's efforts to integrate its minorities has been mixed. In 2001, France played a friendly match in the Stade de France, site of its 1998 World Cup triumph, against Algeria. It was France's first meeting with its former colony, with whom it had fought a war from 1954-62, and it proved controversial. France's national anthem, La Marseillaise, was booed by Algerian supporters before the game, and following a French goal that made the score 4-0 in the second half, spectators ran onto the field of play and caused the game to be suspended. It was never resumed.

France national pride my ass !

[lr]

This in not going to be politically correct …

But sorry not everyone is comfortable with the French (?) football team. It is probably popular and amuses arabs and black people, but it is not going down too well with most people in France and throughout Europe.

What next ?

Chinese football team being made up of 5 black africans, 5 Brazilians and 1 Chinese ?

Senegal football team being made up of 5 White Germans, 3 Japanese and 3 black Senegalese ?

Saudi Arabian football team being made up of 11 "White Christian Europeans" ?

I was at a bar in Lyon watching Italy's all “White Caucasian Italians” beat France's predominantly black team in the 2006 world cup final.

I could easily understand why the Italians are GENUINELY PROUD of their Italian team.

Whereas quiet a few of the “white” French who where at the bar, made it clear that they where not very comfortable or feeling too patriotic with their so called French team. Especially as a large contingent of France’s players where born overseas.

There was a lot of sniggering during the game, when watching one black player being replaced by another black player.

The national team's overall impact on France's efforts to integrate its minorities has been mixed. In 2001, France played a friendly match in the Stade de France, site of its 1998 World Cup triumph, against Algeria. It was France's first meeting with its former colony, with whom it had fought a war from 1954-62, and it proved controversial. France's national anthem, La Marseillaise, was booed by Algerian supporters before the game, and following a French goal that made the score 4-0 in the second half, spectators ran onto the field of play and caused the game to be suspended. It was never resumed.

French national pride my ass !

[lr]

This in not going to be politically correct … however ...

Not everyone is comfortable with the French (?) football team. It is probably popular and amuses arabs and black people, but it is not going down too well with most people in France and throughout Europe.

What next ?

Chinese football team being made up of 5 black africans, 5 Brazilians and 1 Chinese ?

Senegal football team being made up of 5 White Germans, 3 Japanese and 3 black Senegalese ?

Saudi Arabian football team being made up of 11 "White Christian Europeans" ?

I was at a bar in Lyon watching Italy's all “White Caucasian Italians” beat France's predominantly black team in the 2006 world cup final.

I could easily understand why the Italians are GENUINELY PROUD of their Italian team.

Whereas quiet a few of the “white” French who where at the bar, made it clear that they where not very comfortable or feeling too patriotic with their so called French team. Especially as a large contingent of France’s players where born overseas.

There was a lot of sniggering during the game, when watching one black player being replaced by another black player.

The national team's overall impact on France's efforts to integrate its minorities has been mixed. In 2001, France played a friendly match in the Stade de France, site of its 1998 World Cup triumph, against Algeria. It was France's first meeting with its former colony, with whom it had fought a war from 1954-62, and it proved controversial. France's national anthem, La Marseillaise, was booed by Algerian supporters before the game, and following a French goal that made the score 4-0 in the second half, spectators ran onto the field of play and caused the game to be suspended. It was never resumed.

French national pride my ass !

[lr]

This in not going to be politically correct … however ...

Not everyone is comfortable with the French (?) football team. It is probably popular and amuses arabs and black people, but it is not going down too well with most people in France and throughout Europe.

What next ?

Chinese football team being made up of 5 black africans, 5 Brazilians and 1 Chinese ?

Senegal football team being made up of 5 White Germans, 3 Japanese and 3 black Senegalese ?

Saudi Arabian football team being made up of 11 "White Christian Europeans" ?

I was at a bar in Lyon watching Italy's all “White Italians” beat France's predominantly black team in the 2006 world cup final.

I could easily understand why the Italians are GENUINELY PROUD of their Italian team.

Whereas quiet a few of the “white” French who where at the bar, made it clear that they where not very comfortable or feeling too patriotic with their so called French team. Especially as a large contingent of France’s players where born overseas.

There was a lot of sniggering during the game, when watching one black player being replaced by another black player.

The national team's overall impact on France's efforts to integrate its minorities has been mixed. In 2001, France played a friendly match in the Stade de France, site of its 1998 World Cup triumph, against Algeria. It was France's first meeting with its former colony, with whom it had fought a war from 1954-62, and it proved controversial. France's national anthem, La Marseillaise, was booed by Algerian supporters before the game, and following a French goal that made the score 4-0 in the second half, spectators ran onto the field of play and caused the game to be suspended. It was never resumed.

French national pride my ass !