In a video entitled: "Merci au personnel soignant" (Thank you carers), head coach Didier Deschamps as well as star players such as skipper Hugo Lloris and striker Antoine Griezmann, praise the bravery of the doctors and nurses as well as the ancillary staff.
“Today it is you who are playing this match so we are all behind you. We are cheering you on,” they say.
The video was published on social media three days after it emerged that the French Football Federation and the squad had given an undisclosed donation to AP-HP, the body which runs hospitals in and around Paris.
Les Bleus et le staff vous soutiennent et vous remercient, vous, l’ensemble du personnel soignant présent dans les hôpitaux de France 💙 #FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/IHdz70moLV
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) April 5, 2020
Salute
Deschamps, who skippered France to World Cup victory in 1998, is the first to appear on the video. The 51-year-old is followed by Lloris, Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Kylian Mbappé and Griezmann.
Other stars such as Manchester United's Paul Pogba and Chelsea's Olivier Giroud also add their voices.
“Normally, you’re the ones behind us, singing and pushing us on during our matches. We’re behind you now. You’re going to win this fight against the virus.”
More than 8,000 people have died in France from coronavirus with more than 92,000 confirmed cases of the illness.
