EPL To Show France Solidarity During Games

‘La Marseillaise’ will shine all across Premier League stadiums this weekend as English football continues its show of solidarity with France over last week’s terror terror attacks in Paris.

Fans of France and England came together for a moving rendition of the French national anthem prior to Tuesday’s Wembley friendly and the rousing battle hymn is to be played again before each of this weekend’s 10 games.

With the English top flight’s French contingent — 72 players and two managers — still reeling from the shock of the attacks, which left 129 people dead and over 350 injured, it is a move that has been widely welcomed.

“I think it’s a nice gesture of solidarity,” said Arsenal’s French manager Arsene Wenger, whose side, co-leaders with Manchester City, visit West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

“It’s not an obvious one for the fans, just like it would not be an obvious one for fans in France to sing ‘God Save the Queen’, because they don’t know the words. Symbolically it’s a very nice gesture.”

Everton manager Roberto Martinez, whose team host Frenchman Remi Garde’s Aston Villa, said: “I think we all experienced the feelings surrounding the game between England and France on Tuesday.

“It was a fantastic vehicle for showing solidarity and what the game of football can do, and I think this weekend would be exactly the same.”

With the Paris attacks having started outside the Stade de France during France’s friendly with Germany, where three suicide bombers blew themselves up, security concerns are at the top of every football list

The Premier League gave safety briefings to all 20 clubs on Thursday and supporters have been advised to arrive at grounds earlier than usual due to the extra security checks that are scheduled to be carried out.

But there has been no change to the United Kingdom’s terror threat level of ‘severe’ and Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore reassured fans that the football authorities remained on “high alert”.