Qatar 2022 World Cup, the African origins of many players of the finalist France
Many players of France, finalist of the Qatar 2022 World Cup against Argentina, have African origins. As many as 13 French players featured in Didier Deschamps’ selection have relatives from Africa. All were born and raised in France but at the same time they are very proud of their origins, many also retain their tastes and habits, in terms of food, music and more. At the same time, however, they are and feel French.
The multi-ethnic base of the French national team hasn’t made the news for decades, it is considered natural, even if pockets of racism resist. Deschamps’ players themselves claim to be French, and already in previous World Cups (Russia 2018, then won by France) they had rejected the scheme of “African France”.
The multi-ethnic French national team comes from afar, Raoul Diagne was the first black player to play for France in the 1930s. He came from French Guiana, one of France’s Overseas Territories, which still exist and are another football reservoir. In the Territories scattered across the oceans, four of Deschamps’ squads in Qatar have more or less distant origins. They are Varane, Areola, Coman and Marcus Thuram, the son of Lilian, world champion in 1998.
It is estimated that four million French-African citizens live in France, including the overseas territories, a figure that – according to many – would be low. According to some analysts, 40 percent of the French population in the last three generations – a period of about half a century – would have one or more components linked to Africa. The phenomenon can be explained by emigration from the former French colonies in Africa. Over the centuries, France has ruled a boundless empire, between Asia, Africa and America. The list of French-speaking African countries, states in which French is still spoken, is very long: Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. A strong bond, beyond the fact that the colonies no longer exist.
But let’s go into detail. Kylian Mbappé, the star of France, has a father from Cameroon and an Algerian mother. “I am proud of my African origins – he said years ago-. One of my role models was George Weah (former AC Milan striker, now president of Liberia, ed)”. Mbappé could have played for Cameroon or Algeria, but he chose France without hesitation, the country in which he has always lived and of which he feels a part to the core. Aurelien Tchouameni, the new Kanté, also has origins in Cameroon. Country of origin that tried to convince the boy to wear the shirt of their national team. It happened at the beginning of 2021, when Tchouameni was still playing for Monaco. The boy froze the Cameroonian leaders: “I care about the French flag,” he explained in an interview.
Then there is Guendouzi, so far used by Deschamps only in the match lost against Tunisia. Born in 1999 not far from Paris, he is the son of a French mother and a Franco-Moroccan father from Berkane, a coastal city over 500 kilometers from Rabat. In possession of a double passport, raised in the Paris Saint Germain academy and launched by Lorient, Guendouzi also played for Arsenal and Hertha Berlin, before joining Marseille in 2021. Since his youth he opted for the French national team, refusing at 18 the advances of Morocco.
The racism
In 2018, during the World Cup in Russia (later won by France), many covered the French selection with racist insults due to the multi-ethnicity of its components. In fact, many “bleus” footballers have African origins and from Facebook to Twitter, via Instagram, as soon as the final in Moscow was over, the comment “France didn’t win, Africa won” began to appear everywhere. Also in Italy. The hope is that history does not repeat itself.
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