Italy supporters whistled the Marseillaise before kick-off in the match against the France team on Sunday evening in the Nations League. As a sign of disapproval, the players and staff of the Nazionale applauded the French anthem.
The tension was palpable in the stands, but on the pitch there was only respect for the opponent, as first place in the group was at stake before the Italy-France match kicked off on Sunday. , in the League of Nations.
The minutes preceding the referee's whistle were marked by numerous whistles coming down from the stands of San Siro, an old habit, at the moment when the French national anthem began to resonate in the Milanese enclosure, shortly before 8:45 p.m.
Very elegant was the immediate reaction of the transalpine players and staff, who began to applaud the Marseillaise in reaction to the disrespectful attitude of their supporters, unfortunately imitated by some of their French counterparts in the process.
A precedent in 2016
In 2016, in Bari, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon stood out with an equivalent gesture, just as remarkable, which demonstrated his class. The former Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper launched a round of applause to cover the usual whistles, which gave way for a moment to warm applause.
And at the time, the French team had already won with a score of 3-1 in Italy, with goals from Anthony Martial, Olivier Giroud and Layvin Kurzawa. Moral of the story: you should never whistle the Marseillaise.
The Blues of Didier Deschamps concluded the calendar year with a big success (3-1) which gives them first place in the group and gives them an advantageous status before the draw since the French team is assured, whatever either the opponent, to receive on the return, in the quarter-final of the League of Nations, and to avoid a group first (Germany, Spain, Portugal).
