Assignement 7
Nathan Berrebbi
"Do the football players have the obligation to sing their national anthem before starting the football
match?"
Firstly let’s define a national anthem:
It is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes the history, traditions and struggles of its people,
recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the
people.
The majority of national anthems are either marches or hymns in style, like the French one, “La marseillaise”.
National anthems are used in a large range of contexts. They are played on national holiday’s festivals and in
sporting events.
Recently, in France there have been an outcry after french football player Karim Benzema refused to sing the
national anthem before starting a match.
The French National Front has called for Karim Benzema to be excluded from the France football squad and
Marine Le Pen, went on the attack, saying “Karim Benzema does not realise the value of the Marseillaise as he
is not entirely passionate about the country”.
It provoked an outcry in France, and there were many reactions. Cesar Azpilicueta, a former Olympique de
Marseille player said that the furore is based on personal feelings towards Benzema himself, rather than his
beliefs.
"I have seen so many players that have not sung the anthem, and it seems more a personal issue to do with the
player involved," he told.
There were also many discussions on forum, and someone said: “One may refuse to sing an anthem because it
goes against his beliefs and he has the right to do so just as one has a right to disagree with certain politicians.
This in no way suggests he hates the country he lives in. His actions and contribution on the field and off the
field suggest otherwise.”
So the real debate seems to be elsewhere, and other issues could be raised as: does the national anthem really
represent the country? Doesn’t it represent only the history of the country, and isn’t it an outdated song?
The problem of the faithful representation of the country concerns also other countries like the Northern Ireland
following problem: There have been calls for God Save the Queen to be dropped as the national anthem of the
Northern Ireland football team because it alienates Catholic players. Scotland and Wales have their own anthems
but the Irish have the same one as the British. Now two former players say it deters nationalists from supporting
and playing for the team.
A similar case happened in Wales, where football players Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Joe Allen caused a row
during their side's opening 1-1 draw against Senegal on Thursday by not singing God Save the Queen.Giggs said
for his defense: "The British anthem is the same for a Welshman, Scotsman or an Englishman. It’s difficult but
it's not an issue for us. It might be for other people but, once the game starts, we're all pulling in the same
direction and I think that's the main thing." So, he argues that the most significant thing is to be united as a team
to win on the field, and not be united just by singing.
Moreover, singing national anthems, which are generally military marches or hymn, increases the feeling of
rivalry between countries and between players. Sports is a game, a leisure a not a battle.The field is not a war
field, so even if in some competitions stakes are high, it shouldn’t be linked with any military aspect.
To conclude, as most of the lyrics of national anthems are linked with the history of the country, those anthems
are generally military marches and consequently are outdated. Thus, it’s perferectly undersandable that some
players refuse to sing, considering that the lyrics don’t match with their beleifs. It would be too complicated to
change the national anthem, so the only thing we can do is not to force the players to sing.