On the eve of the 76th match between Belgium and France in one hundred and twenty international years, this new duel scheduled for this Monday sounds like the return of the neighborhood party and with it a scent of rivalry that is still very present. Since the day it all began on May 1, 1904, in Brussels, Belgium is also the nation that France has most often met.
But since the clash at the top in the semi-final of the World Cup in 2018, the two teams no longer really have the same dynamic. France painfully finished second in its group behind Austria and Belgium had to endure the whistles of its own public after qualifying in a form of result management which did not go down well with the fans. Captain Kevin De Bruyne even decided to no longer greet the supporters who were whistling when other players went his way at the end of the match in front of the journalists’ microphones, not understanding the reaction of the public.
“A lack of respect towards the supporters”: this is why the Devils suffered so many whistles despite qualifying
“There is a risk of creating a fracture between the two parties”
So is this legitimate anger or an inappropriate reaction from the stands? “If we place ourselves on the side of the supporter, we can understand the disappointment, says Philippe Godin, professor of sports psychology. They invest significant sums of money to come and watch the match and face players who do not accept criticism and do not take responsibility, it is somehow normal to express one’s discontent. Given the attitude of the team, there is now a risk of creating a fracture between the two parties, a form of national disunity. However, one can wonder if the level of demand towards this team is not too high, we should not become supporters of victory when we have a team of much less quality than in 2018. In Belgium, we are proud of our team but we perhaps expect a little too much from them. Many supporters want to continue living this dream of winning a major tournament but sport is not an exact science and our team is perhaps less strong than in the past. We are witnessing this well-known psychological mechanism of expectations that are too high and disappointment is even greater”.
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Concerning the players, those who support high-level athletes on a daily basis do not believe in a short-term effect.
“From a psychological point of view, I don’t believe that these whistles really affect the players, and in particular the team executives like De Bruyne or Lukaku, he explains. These are professionals subject to significant media coverage who have seen others. At the time, there is disappointment but qualification is there and that was their objective after a poor start to the tournament. We know that De Bruyne is a very first-rate and complaining player but he is also capable of turning the page and focusing on qualifying. Afterwards, it must also be said that all this is a bit of a “show” for the players who are sometimes a little pushed by the federations to come and greet the public, it is not always very natural or spontaneous. In certain clubs like in Paris, it’s even part of the contract, there’s sales and marketing involved.”
