Far right Rassemblement National leader Marine Le Pen said it was “not sensible” to welcome the Italian supporters.
Right wing Les Républicains MP Eric Ciotti, whose constitutency of Alpes-Maritimes borders northern Italy, denounced what he described as “incoherence” in the government’s strategy.
He questioned why French schoolchildren who had recently returned from Italy were being quarantined but authorities were allowing “at least 3000 people” from a “very high risk area” to attend the football match.
Former Socialist minister Ségolène Royal also said the decision seemed “incoherent” and maintained that ordinary people could not see the logic.
Calls for closure of border
The government is defending its decision. Junior Education Minister Gabriel Attal told French TV station BFMTV that health experts had advised that it was not necessary to stop the supporters coming to Lyons.
Attal also described as “very serious” Marine Le Pen’s call for border controls to be re-instated between France and Italy.
On Tuesday, when asked if she favoured the re-introduction of border controls, during the Covid-19 Coronavirus epidemic, the RN leader replied “Of course”, adding that “the reality is that a border protects populations, whatever the situation.”
There are no border controls between France and Italy as both countries are in the Schengen Area.
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