Trust
Patrice Evra
to speak the harshest truth with an infectious smile across his face. The former captain of France and a
Manchester United
legend is as brutal in addressing issues of racism and politics in France as he was guarding the left flank at Old Trafford.
No holds barred is Evra’s way. “It all started in 1998 after France won the World Cup. Dating a black player became a fashion,” he said about the constantly changing dynamics in France’s social fabric.
Evra spoke to TOI on the upcoming
European Championship
and football’s impact on France and society at large. Excerpts:
Can France overcome their World cup loss by winning the Euro?
I think they are two completely different competitions. If you ask me if France, my country, is my favourite, I will say yes. But the biggest enemy of France is France itself. If you name all the squads in this tournament, no national team has a better squad than Les Bleus. We have a better bench as well. But sometimes we get too arrogant, we get too confident. It is in the French people’s DNA. And the last example is what happened in the last Euros when we were knocked out by Switzerland. We were up 3-1 till the 80th minute. We started dancing too early. They equalised and we lost in the penalties.
But I’m confident this time, because this is the only trophy Didier Deschamps hasn’t won as a manager. In 2016, when I was playing, unfortunately we were beaten by Portugal in the final. I don't think the World Cup final loss will have any bearing because we played a great game.
Do you think multiculturalism has worked well for France? Are things improving since your time as a player?
Racism is not about football, it’s about society. But football provides an amazing platform from which you can spread the message to counter the malaise. You remember what happened after the 2020 Euro final after Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka missed their penalties against Italy? Suddenly they stopped being English players. They become, you know, Jamaican or whatever. Similar things happened in France, too. When you lose, you become Senegalese.
Since 1998, I can see this racist trend. When France won the World Cup suddenly it was okay to date a white woman because it was fashionable to be seen with a footballer, no matter if he was an Algerian or French or from Senegal or Congo.
Of course, we are improving but issues are there. To stay silent is a crime. Let’s not put too much pressure on the footballers because this is a societal problem, and the government has to solve those issues. Punishment is not the solution. Education is the way forward.
Do you think Kylian Mbappe is too young to be burdened with the responsibility of France’s captaincy?
It’s politics. Let’s be very clear there. I’ve been captain of the national team and when things go right, everyone says you are a great leader. When things go wrong, trust me, everyone wants to destroy you. Mbappe too must face this. I think Mbappe’s age doesn’t matter anymore. If you got the quality and the personality, you could do the job. You saw the way Mbappe handled his transfer situation (to Real Madrid). He scored even in his last game for PSG.
But yes, if France don’t win the tournament, the politicians and the people will dump the blame on the captain. If you play good or bad, they’re going to blame the captain. They’re going to say he didn’t lead the team to win the trophy. It happened to me. So, it’s a massive responsibility. But saying it’s too early or not, I don’t believe in that. You know, when I was named the captain of Manchester United, I couldn’t believe it because there were players like Rio Ferdinand,
Ryan Giggs
, Gary Neville, but Alex Ferguson made me the captain. The job of a leader is to create other leaders around yourself.
Do you remember the day when you were made the captain of France in 2010?
It was a surprise. It was crazy because for all the pre-season and the World Cup qualification games, it was either
William Gallas
or
Thierry Henry
who were leading. I remember it was before a friendly before the World Cup in South Africa. We were scheduled to play against Costa Rica. I got down from the bus and had my headphones on when manager Raymond Domenech said, “Patrice, you’re the captain today.” And I said, “No, the captain is Gallas or Henry.” He said, “No, no, you are the captain.” At first, I was very proud. But I was also worried because the coach didn’t inform Gallas and Henry first. I did not want this decision to spoil our friendship. In fact, before the 2010 World Cup, there was a lot of turbulence in the dressing room. One part of me was happy, and on the other side I was worried that I would lose my friends.
How do you look at the other contenders at the Euros?
Germany
is also a favourite because of their history. When you host the tournament, normally you get to the semifinal, or you win the tournament because you get pushed by all the home support. The players give their maximum. And especially for Toni Kroos, who will be playing his last tournament with the national team.
Croatia too, I think, is a strong team. Luka Modric may also be playing his farewell tournament. Portugal has Cristiano Ronaldo, and he has another chance to win the Euro again. He won the last one against me and I wasn’t happy with that.
What about Jude Bellingham’s England?
What a fantastic season this young man has had with Real Madrid! England can be full of surprises. But some players had a long season and will be tired. So it is on their fitness coach, the doctor, to manage them well and make sure they are like 100% for the first game.
Do you think he can finally help England land a trophy?
The best thing about Jude is his personality. He had an amazing first season in Madrid. I think England will have one of the best midfields with Jude, Declan Rice, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka. How they’re going to handle pressure will decide how far England can go in the tournament. Playing for your club is completely different than playing for your national team. But Jude can be the key because when you come out from a season winning everything, you bring along that winning aura. You want to win more. He will have a major role, but don’t forget their captain, Harry Kane. He will also have to score a lot of goals. He joined Bayern Munich and they failed to win the league. I feel he will have a point to prove.
(Patrice Evra is the expert panellist on Sony Sports Network's studio show Football Extraaa for UEFA EURO 2024.)
English (US) ·