Published on : 27/12/2020 – 10:09
Many French footballers have expressed their opinions this year on political or societal issues. From Antoine Griezmann to Kylian Mbappé via Marcus Thuram or Presnel Kimpembe, there have been many examples this year.
2020 will truly have been the year of the committed footballer. To denounce racism and police violence, in particular in May during the the death of Georges Floyd in the United States or last month after the beating in Paris by Michel Zecler. Many footballers, and athletes in general, did not hesitate to express their emotion and their dismay. Encouraged in this by the example given recently by American sportsmen. Confirmation with one of the founders of the Sport-Business Observatory, Vincent Chaudel. ” For me, the tipping point is Colin Kaepernick for his commitment to the cause of police violence in America around the African American population. And there with the Black Lives Matter, basketball players like Lebron James, who were ready to strike. It uninhibited a lot of things. »
« A role to play in society »
An uninhibited, liberated word, directly transmitted by the athlete to his audience via social networks and their enormous sounding board. ” Today, athletes know that they have a role to play in society. They have become real brands with communities of millions of fans following them. They know how much weight they can have », Explains Bruno Fraioli, journalist specializing in sports economics.
Dying for wanting to save: Unacceptable violence
Let us not let violence win, whatever its form.My condolences to the families of the victims.
????♂️????????????.
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) December 23, 2020
Kylian Mbappé paid tribute via twitter to three gendarmes killed in the Puy de Dôme. As for his sidekick in Blue, Antoine Griezmann who has more than 7 million followers, he caused a sensation recently by announcing that he was breaking his partnership with the powerful Chinese brand Huawei this to defend the rights of Uighur Muslim minority. A strong, committed, even risky act for its image and popularity? Not really according to Bruno Fraioli. ” Finally, it is not that important this risk taking. Few athletes take political positions. The most divisive are above all positions taken on societal issues: the fight against racism or parity between the sexes, for example.. »
« The data is changing »
The voice of athletes is therefore more and more essential in the media but now also in the field. The phenomenon materialized on December 8 at the Parc des Princes during the Champions League match between Paris SG and Turkish club Basaksehir. Following a racist incident of which Cameroonian coach Achille Webo was the victim, players from both camps refused to continue the game. A great first in the history of football because until then the players did not dare to revolt. ” We saw in the stadiums in Spain, in Italy, people did not have this power, explains Achille Webo. They are the referees, the judges. And your leaders tell you to continue playing: “otherwise we will have economic sanctions”. Today, with what happened on December 8th, the data is changing. These are the main actors who say: ” we too have the full powers to say basta, we do not want to continue ”. »
More and more, in the stadiums, we see players displaying their opinions either via messages on their t-shirts, or by kneeling on the ground, head bowed, thus repeating the gesture initiated by Colin Kaepernick, the football player. American evoked.
Most of the time anti-racist expressions, tolerated by FIFA, which nevertheless excludes in its regulations prohibiting any message of a political or religious nature on the pitch.
This is also the case with the International Olympic Committee which, via its charter, prohibits any kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda on the sites of the Games. This is to preserve the neutrality of sport.
.
