Hugo Lloris Backs Decision for France’s Friendly With England to Go Ahead

The game comes four days after a total of 129 people were killed in attacks across the French capital, Paris.

France captain Hugo Lloris said Tuesday’s friendly against England will enable his teammates to temporarily “escape” from the horror of the devastating attacks that hit Paris.

Roy Hodgson: “I’m not sure how to balance enormity of occasion with questions about players and a football match”.

However, both Diarra and Griezmann will travel to London with the rest of the squad today, but The Times reports that a few members of the squad are deeply unhappy with the failure to consult them over the decision to play.

Three bombers, and a bystander, died in the blasts outside the stadium, and the French and German teams spent the night inside the venue.

He said: “The president made the best decision, I think, to play this game. Then I informed Deschamps around midday [on Saturday]”. The last three days have been dramatic and I think we were in mourning all together.

“We players shared a moment with young woman”, Lloris said. “Of course we would have liked to have seen our nearest and dearest, but time went very quickly”.

The decision to play the highly emotional game was taken on Saturday morning by French federation president Noel Le Graet and Deschamps. It will be a good opportunity to represent the French nation, which is more important than French football tomorrow. “But we have not been cut off from the world”.

France arrived to find Wembley’s arch lit up in the red, white and blue of their national flag, while the words of their national anthem La Marseillaise will be displayed on the stadium screen to encourage English fans to join their visitors in singing it before the game.

“If lots of the English supporters join in, that will make the moment even stronger, and that will be incredible”.

He added: “Sport is a representation of unity of diversity, of diversity coming together. They’re respectful. We’re grateful for that”.

“To borrow from Lassana Diarra’s remarkable message (announcing his cousin’s death), it has no colour, no religion”. “That has always been the case”.