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French national anthem booed in Brussels during Belgium-France Nations League clash

At the Stade Roi Baudouin on Monday evening, the French national anthem was heavily whistled by Belgian supporters before kick-off in Belgium-France, a Nations League matchday 2 fixture, sparking outrage on social media.

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French national anthem booed in Brussels during Belgium-France Nations League clash
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The French national anthem was booed by a large section of the Belgian crowd at the Stade Roi Baudouin on Monday evening in Brussels before kick-off in Belgium-France, counting towards matchday 2 of the Nations League.

Zinedine Zidane’s players, unmoved, continued to sing La Marseillaise without being rattled by the whistles. The scene echoed what had already occurred three days earlier in Turkey, during Zidane’s first match on the France bench, which ended in a French victory (0-1).

The sequence quickly inflamed social media. Journalist Bertrand Latour reacted with irony on X: “Congratulations to the many Belgians who booed La Marseillaise at the stadium. That’s sport.” Among French supporters, indignant reactions multiplied: “The Belgians are whistling La Marseillaise… What a shame!!!!” or “Football wants respect between each other. So why is La Marseillaise being whistled?” could be read on the platform.

The whistling of national anthems during international matches remains a recurring issue in European football, regularly condemned by governing bodies but difficult to curb in stadiums.

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