© EuroFootball.com
French national team defender Lilian Thuram joined the critics of the comments made by the leader of the country's Socialist Party, Georges Freche, that there are too many black players in the national team.
"In this team (in friendly matches against the Greek team, in particular), there are even 8 black players out of 11 on the field. If we think rationally, there should only be three or four. This should be reconsidered in our organization. Since there are so many of them playing, the white players are useless," Freche said on Wednesday.
Similarly, during the World Cup, the nationalist Jean-Marie Le Pen expressed his opinion that the French society does not feel represented by "Les Bleus."
L. Thuram, who has played the most matches for the French national team, described G. Freche's observations as sick, racist, and dangerous.
"What G. Freche and others have said about the number of black players in the French national team is sick. These racist remarks are particularly dangerous in social circumstances when people are economically suffocated," said the Barcelona defender.
"For a long time, great footballers emerged from impoverished areas, and since in France a large part of those living in impoverished areas are black, it is normal that so many of them play in the French national team," the Frenchman added.
