England vs France: Outpouring of gratitude after homage to Paris attack victims

'The homage to the victims of was a mark of dignity, solemnity and emotion'

England and France players line up together before a minute's silence for the victims of the Paris terror attacks (Getty Images)

It was the moment that, for a few minutes at least, football was forgotten. But the sight and sound of players and supporters of the English and French international teams joining together in solidarity to belt out La Marseillaise will live long in the memories of those who witnessed the spectacle at Wembley on 17 November.

The powerful display of musical fraternité might not have won any awards for its tunefulness, but the symbolism of the occasion was saluted by French citizens on social media and prompted emotional headlines in newspapers and on websites across the globe.

French daily sports newspaper L’Equipe summed up the sentiment in simple fashion by displaying the words “Thank You” across its front page on 18 November, accompanied by a picture of players from both sides arranged around the centre circle as they observed a minute’s silence for those who died in the attacks. “Wembley was in blue, white, red yesterday to pay tribute to France,” the headline continued, describing an “evening full of emotion”.

More than 70,000 fans attended the international friendly match in London, which took place only four days after three terrorists detonated their suicide vests near the Stade de France in Paris in an attempt to murder supporters who had gathered to watch France take on Germany. The words to the French national anthem were displayed on Wembley’s big screens to allow fans from both sides to sing along.

Players and match officials observe a minute of silence to remember the those lost their lives in the recent terror attack in Paris (Getty)

“The homage to the victims of was a mark of dignity, solemnity and emotion,” wrote L’Equipe journalist Vincent Duluc. “The Marseillaise, sung as one, and the minute of absolute silence were moments of rare intensity.”

A report of the match in the magazine France Football read: “When La Marseillaise was sung, it was much more than an anthem that the French and English shared. It was the words: liberty, equality, brotherhood. It was the colours: red, white and blue. The grief, the pain, values. But also an emotional communion and a real sincerity. That of friendship, solidarity, unity. On Tuesday 17 November 2015, it was humanity that we shared.”

French daily newspaper Libération poked fun at the traditional rivalry between the two countries, with a headline that read: “Scoop: The English love us.” Its article continued: “At Wembley we discovered that all the French-bashing ridicule – those digs about our smelly cheeses and us having garlic breath – was one big misunderstanding. We can say one thing for sure: the English know how to welcome people.”

After the match, which was won 2-0 by England, the French captain Hugo Lloris said his players had been emotionally drained by the events of the previous few days but expressed his gratitude to the English fans and acknowledged that the result had always been academic.

“We have to thank the English for the reception they gave us, for their support,” he said. “What they did for us was very strong, very moving. It was big of them. We couldn’t deliver the kind of performance we wanted out on the pitch because we lacked energy. The last three days, with the preparations we’ve had, had clearly taken something out of us.

“But the result wasn’t the most important thing about this evening. It was secondary. What was important was that we were out there, on the pitch, and the game went ahead. Now we have to go back to our clubs, every one of us, refocus and recover. There will be better days than this ahead, for all of us.”