Premier League clubs to play France national anthem before games this weekend

England fans paid tribute to the 129 victims in the Paris explosion at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.

It has been confirmed on the Premier League’ s official website that English clubs have agreed upon playing the French national anthem before their games this weekend. The prospect of playing La Marseillaise before the matches kick off was discussed by several clubs on Wednesday and the league is now looking to pay tribute to those affected by the terror attacks on Paris.

France’s 2-0 win over Germany on November 13 was overshadowed by the explosion in the city, that killed more than 120 people across the French capital. The militants attacked three locations in Paris – Le Cambodge, Le Bataclan theatre and Stade de France.

Terrified by the explosion, the supporters rushed onto the pitch after the game while the German national team was also held at the stadium along with their French peers for their own safety. The incident instilled fear across the nation.

Since then, everyone across the world has been showing solidarity with Paris in their time of crisis for the past one week and during England’s friendly against France at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, the arena was lit up with France’s tri-colour.

Prince William, along with managers of both countries Roy Hodgson and Didier Deschamps, laid the wreaths on the pitch. It was then followed by a minute’s silence, as the near 80,000 crowd fell quiet in remembrance at England’s national stadium.

All the attendants present in the stadium paid tribute to the 129 victims before kick-off by joining together to sing La Marseillaise and the England fans also held aloft a mosaic of the French flag during the national anthem.

It has been understood that a number of Premier League clubs, especially those with French players in their squads are keen on the idea of playing the anthem before the kick-off this weekend. England’s top-flight is also expected to detail any new security measures that fans can expect at matches after Friday’s tragedy.

“Given how close we are as well as the long-standing relationship that exists between the Premier League and France, playing La Marseillaise as an act of solidarity and remembrance is the right thing to do,” announced Richard Scudamore, who is the Premier League Executive Chairman.

“We were all saddened and deeply shocked by the events in Paris last Friday, and the fact it was an attack on people enjoying their everyday freedoms like going to a bar, a concert or a football match resonates with football fans and the general public throughout the UK.”

The friendly match in Hannover between Germany and Netherlands was called off on Tuesday due to security concerns.

Meanwhile, Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, will wear shirts containing the phrase ‘Je Suis Paris’ in tribute to the victims of the attacks. The words will appear below the club crest for the next three matches.

Quick Links

Edited by Staff Editor