Yesterday, Tuesday, the President of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet, revealed that French President Emmanuel Macron intervened to ask the national team players to meet the fans, after their defeat in the World Cup Qatar final against Argentina.
Le Graet said in a statement to the “French Press” agency, “The players initially wanted to return directly to their homes on Monday, after losing on penalties 2-4 on Sunday, in a dramatic final that ended 3-3 in the regular and extra time.” He added, “Under the weight of disappointment and sadness, and this Difficult feelings, I understood and respected this choice.
And he continued, "The situation changed at about ten o'clock in the morning (Monday), after a conversation with the president, who wanted a moment of communication (with the fans). Naturally, the team and I accepted that."
After a day of contradictory statements, the players finally appeared for a few minutes on Monday evening on the balcony of the luxurious Hotel Crillon in the historic "La Concorde" square.
About 50,000 people thronged the public square to wave, celebrate and sing the national anthem, many waiting more than 4 hours in the dark and cold.
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Despite the festive atmosphere, some complained that the players were barely visible as they waved from the balcony behind the police cars.
A number of national team players - including striker Marcus Thuram - expressed their happiness at the crowd's scene.
The reactions in France were very supportive of the national team, which was close to retaining its world title, despite the series of injuries suffered by the star players in the team.
Macron's emotions in the final match at Lusail Stadium last Sunday also sparked a lot of comments.
The 44-year-old was seen jumping from his seat during the match, before coming down to console the distraught players at the end as they fell to the ground after the penalty shootout.
He then gave a motivating speech after the match in the changing room, which led to criticism from some opponents and local pundits, that he had entered too much space for the national team.