'Justice' for multi-racial World Cup winners

  • Published
France's Paul Pogba celebrates with teammates after scoring the third of France's four goalsImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

France's Paul Pogba celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal at the World Cup

A comment heralding the multicultural French World Cup winners has provoked an online debate about racism and immigration.

Shortly after France beat Croatia on Sunday, Khaled Beydoun an American author on Islamophobia, called for "justice" for the diverse team.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by Khaled Beydoun

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by Khaled Beydoun

The post has been retweeted more than 163,000 times and gained 370,000 likes since being posted on Sunday following France's 4-2 victory.

The French team is being recognised as one of the most multicultural teams in the competition - 15 out of the 23 players in the national squad can trace their heritage back to Africa, mainly from French colonies.

You may also like:

Image source, FRANCK FIFE
Image caption,

Kylian Mbappe, the youngest footballer since Pele to score in a World Cup final, has parents from Cameroon and Algeria

Many people on social media were keen to point out that despite their African roots, the men were "first and foremost French", external, while others blasted Beydoun for using sport to score political points.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post 2 by carter till

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post 2 by carter till

Some believed the tweet would harm race relations in a country where the issue is already controversial following the recent migrant crisis and a number of terror attacks.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post 3 by M.G

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post 3 by M.G
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post 4 by 'MericanRed

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post 4 by 'MericanRed

In 2016 a year after the deadly Paris attack, ex-France footballer Louis Saha said France was lagging behind other countries in tackling racism.

It is the second time France has won the World Cup. Before the team's win in 1998 the far right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen had criticised, external some of its players including Zinedine Zidane, who has Algerian heritage.

He had claimed many of them were "foreigners who were not singing the national anthem before matches". This year there has been a notable silence from the far right corners of the French political spectrum.

This Twitter user said he hoped France's 2018 win would help change attitudes.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post 5 by Twenty8Sixty8

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post 5 by Twenty8Sixty8