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.
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Khaled Beydoun ✔@KhaledBeydoun
Dear France,
Congratulations on winning the #WorldCup.
80% of your team is African, cut out the racism and xenophobia.
50% of your team are Muslims, cut out the Islamophobia.
Africans and Muslims delivered you a second World Cup, now deliver them justice.
— (@KhaledBeydoun) ">- 476K
- ">https://twitter.com/KhaledBeydoun/status/1018540593897705473" data-scribe="component:news">202K people are talking about this — (@KhaledBeydoun) 202K people are talking about this ">
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">https://twitter.com/KhaledBeydoun/status/1018540593897705473" class="off-screen" tabindex="-1">End of Twitter post by @KhaledBeydoun— (@KhaledBeydoun) End of Twitter post by @KhaledBeydoun">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.
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Image copyrightFRANCK FIFEMany people on social media were keen to point out that despite their African roots, the men were
"first and foremost French", while others blasted Beydoun for using sport to score political points. ">https://twitter.com/mattturck/status/1018555255884218368">"first and foremost French"
, while others blasted Beydoun for using sport to score political points. — (@mattturck) "first and foremost French", while others blasted Beydoun for using sport to score political points. ">Skip Twitter post by @carter_till
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carter till@carter_till
— (@_) Replying to @KhaledBeydoun ">
You really had to politicize the World Cup, it’s about football not politics
— (@carter_till) ">
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">https://twitter.com/carter_till/status/1018616750353592320" class="off-screen" tabindex="-1">End of Twitter post by @carter_till— (@carter_till) End of Twitter post 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.
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M.G@MGigantoraptor
— (@_) Replying to @skismathussein @KhaledBeydoun ">
Those people are representative of the french team, nothing else matters. Stop dividing people.
— (@MGigantoraptor) ">
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">https://twitter.com/MGigantoraptor/status/1018797126246109186" class="off-screen" tabindex="-1">End of Twitter post by @MGigantoraptor— (@MGigantoraptor) End of Twitter post by @MGigantoraptor">Skip Twitter post by @KungFu_Cantona_
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— (@KungFu_Cantona_) ">
— (@KungFu_Cantona_) ">
'MericanRed@KungFu_Cantona_
— (@_) Replying to @KhaledBeydoun @WentzUno ">
And the award for racially dividing a country and politicizing a sport victory goes to..........
— (@KungFu_Cantona_) ">
End of Twitter post by @KungFu_Cantona_
">https://twitter.com/KungFu_Cantona_/status/1018697167526092800" class="off-screen" tabindex="-1">End of Twitter post by @KungFu_Cantona_— (@KungFu_Cantona_) End of Twitter post by @KungFu_Cantona_">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 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.
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Twenty8Sixty8@WilliamPMack
20 years ago, when a diverse French team won the World Cup, we heard a lot about how it was the precursor to a new inclusive France. Less than 20 years later, we almost ended up with a racist far-right president, Marine Le Pen. Please France, don’t waste this opportunity #France
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