Didier Deschamps Noel Le-Graet Amelie Oudea-Castera France Germany soccer Sport minister rights cup on Didier Deschamps Noel Le-Graet Amelie Oudea-Castera France Germany

World Cup digest: Minister wants holders to make voices heard on human rights

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The French sports minister urged the national football team on Thursday to make themselves heard amid a row over FIFA's threat of sanctions for the OneLove armband.On Wednesday, all Germany players placed their hands over their mouths in front of dozens of photographers on the pitch ahead of kick-off, after world soccer body FIFA had threatened seven European teams with sanctions if they wore the armband symbolising diversity and tolerance.France are not among the seven teams, with French football federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet saying it would "follow the guidelines of FIFA"."I think that FIFA's decision to ban the OneLove armband will be talked about for a while.

Do I wish there had been a space for full freedom? The answer is clearly yes," Amelie Oudea Castera told public TV channel Public Senat."Are there still spaces of freedom where our French team can continue to express their commitment to human rights?

The answer is yes. The Germans are showing it."While players and coach Didier Deschamps said they were just following orders, Oudea Castera hopes things can change."There are still weeks ahead of us in which they can be free to express themselves, to use these spaces of freedom to carry their messages," she said."They have these values too.

They belong to a country that holds these values high and it is important that they represent them."Follow every game from the 2022 FIFA World Cup via live blogs on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app, or watch live on RTÉ Television and RTÉ PlayerWe need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity.

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Follow all the action from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ on beIN SPORTS Defending champions France face off against Morocco at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday evening with a place in the FIFA World Cup final on the line.  France edged out England in a tetchy quarter-final to reach the final four, whilst Morocco continued their sensational run in Qatar by getting the better of Portugal with a 1-0 win. In the process, Morocco became the first Arabic and African nation to reach the semi-finals of a FIFA World Cup tournament.  France had a fair amount of luck in their quarter-final against England and perhaps without that late missed penalty from Harry Kane may have already been on the aeroplane back home. However, some stout defending and a powerful header from Olivier Giroud ensured that Les Bleus progressed to the semi-finals.  Reassuringly, France has been successful in their last three visits to the FIFA World Cup, winning their last three appearances in 1998, 2006 and 2018.  Although the fact that France has yet to keep a clean sheet yet in Qatar whilst coming up against the best defensive side left in the tournament would be a concern for Didier Deschamps. In team news, France is expected to name an unchanged side for this one, with Olivier Giroud the focal point in attack.  blockquote class="twitter-tweet">

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