The controversy arose from the statements of the vice-president of the National Rally (RN) who, Thursday, May 20, considered that choosing rapper Youssoupha for the anthem of the French team at Euro football (from June 11 to 11 July), it was “Give in to a scum part of France”. Remarks immediately criticized by the Minister Delegate for Sports, Roxana Maracineanu: “Youssoupha is an activist singer who denounces racism and who is for diversity. This is good because sport shares these values, and more specifically the French Football Federation. “
But this choice of song did not please the president of the Football Federation (FFF), Noël Le Graët. In the columns of Parisian, Wednesday May 26, he ensures that the title of Youssoupha is not the official anthem of the Blues: “It does not appear on the federation’s website and we do not intend to ask people to repeat these words. ”
Even more surprisingly, Mr. Le Graët makes it known that he was not made aware of this initiative: “It was our young employees in the sales department who had this idea to accompany the unveiling of the list of 26 Blues. ” If he judges that “ Youssoupha is a good rapper, who, like others, may have had inappropriate words ” and “That this piece did not deserve as many comments”, the boss of French football regrets this choice, however. “I believe that we should not have done this and let the list be disclosed as usual, without communication”, he laments.
A title unveiled at the same time as the announcement of the 26 players
Youssoupha’s song, Write my name in blue!, was disclosed on May 19 on the social networks of the France team, the day of the announcement of the 26 players selected to play the European football championship to be held in three weeks.
“Write my name in blue / Call out my name in blue / write it down, write my name in blue …”, chanted Youssoupha, 41, one of the figures of French rap since a first solo album, in 2007. “It comes from the countryside and neighborhoods / No one will move away / The camp will be guarded / Each blase is heavy with meaning / It’s lucky day / A better blend of a taste from elsewhere and a taste of France “, continues the rapper, whose sixth opus, Neptune Terminus, was released a few weeks ago.
Write my name in Blue, Call out my name in Blue! ???????? #FiersdetreBleus https://t.co/KErYY40a6j
Attacked in court in 2009 by Eric Zemmour for insults and defamation, Youssoupha who had called him ” with “ in a song, won before the Paris Court of Appeal in 2012. The high court considered that the words pursued “Did not exceed the permissible limits in terms of freedom of artistic expression”. Very committed against racism and discrimination, the rapper declared even recently, last April, that “Systemic racism is an aberration of our time.”
Before Youssoupha, other singers performed hymns for the French football team such as Johnny Hallyday in 2002 with ” All together ! “.
