Zidane addresses racism in football, emphasizes diversity in France
Zinedine Zidane, the new coach of the French national team, stated on Tuesday that racism must be combated, acknowledging that everyone tries to do so in their own way. He highlighted France as a beautiful country with diversity, recalling his upbringing in a neighborhood in La Castellane, Marseille, where there was a place for everyone. Zidane, who was officially named Didier Deschamps' successor on Tuesday, emphasized that his life involves interacting with everyone, as "we are all human beings." His comments come after incidents of racism, including insults directed at French captain Kylian Mbappé by a Paraguayan senator during the 2026 World Cup in North America. The senator had compared Mbappé to a monkey after France's 1-0 victory over the South American team in the round of 16. These remarks caused widespread outrage and led to an investigation in Paris. Mbappé himself responded on social media, criticizing the senator's "unconscious and uninhibited racism" and stating that her actions overshadowed her country's World Cup efforts. The Fifpro, the global union for professional football players, also issued a warning during the World Cup about harassment, often racist, experienced by players, particularly online. The FIFA Social Media Moderation Service SMPS reported in late June that it had identified 89,000 abusive posts during the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, with 11% being racist, making it the largest category of abuse.
