Patriotic chant erupts in protest after French victory in Belgium

While the French team displayed an attractive face during its victory in Belgium (0-1) thanks to a fine goal by Michael Olise, the whistles on La Marseillaise during the anthems created a controversy that divided supporters on both sides of the Quiévrain.

Whistles during the anthems

It was one of the main off‑notes of the evening. The boos on the national anthem, heard during the singing of La Marseillaise, generated a lot of talk, both on the French and Belgian side. Hearing boos on a national anthem during a match between two national teams is unfortunately not a rare occurrence. The same phenomenon happened in Turkey, during the Blues' first match in this Nations League.

French supporters reacted quickly. The main supporters' group of the Blues, the “IF”, published a call to respect the anthems during the next two matches at the Stade de France. “On the occasion of France – Italy on Friday and France – Belgium on Monday, we wish to remind the importance of respecting national anthems,” they wrote on their social media.

In the same statement, the IF denounced the trivialisation of whistles during the opponent’s anthem and stressed that this must not become a habit. “Let’s respect the opponent’s anthem as we want La Marseillaise to be respected everywhere the Blues play,” they added, emphasizing that rivalry must remain respectful.

The Blues, despite the controversy, delivered a convincing performance, with Michael Olise’s decisive goal sealing the 0‑1 victory. The supporters’ message aims to prevent further incidents in upcoming fixtures, notably the France – Italy match.