Arsene Wenger hopes France can react in a positive way to Friday’s terror attacks and thanked the English for the solidarity shown at Wembley on Tuesday night.
Confirming he was in Paris when the terrorists launched their assaults the boss revealed his shock at the hatred directed at his homeland’s ‘tolerant and generous’ community.
Speaking on Friday he said: “I was not far from the events…to discover how much your own citizens hate you is a big shock.
“I was late for my appointment, so I was late to the stadium and I decided to watch the game in the hotel where I was. I was more under shock than fearful,” Wenger said.
“You could be scared because it was four different places attacked. You don’t feel secure anywhere.
“Everybody who was in Paris on Friday night was in shock. France is like England – a tolerant and generous country. You have a bit more of a question of security, because it looks like it’s not the end of it.
“A way for us is just to get on with life and to respond in a positive way to the situation.
“We cannot stop everything, try to continue with our lives. It is more a way of life that is being targeted than any individual community.”
At Wembley on Tuesday evening to watch France play England the boss also paid tribute to his adopted country’s celebration of core Gallic values; “liberté, égalité, fraternité.”
“It showed the class of England. The arch of Wembley in French colours was very significant.
“I would like to thank the English community who showed great solidarity. It was a huge shock for our country.”
On an emotional night at Wembley, Laurent Koscielny was visibly upset as the Marseillaise anthem played out before kick-off. The boss confirmed he’ll chat with the defender ahead of this weekend’s game with West Brom.
“On Tuesday you could see he [Koscielny] was not himself and it affected him deeply.”
He added: “If he is not 100 per cent focused to play against West Brom “I will not play him…. You have to trust the player.”
For the English, the French are like siblings, easy to make fun of but people we will always support if in need. Wembley was great, even Gibbs and Sagna being together. The match was totally irrelevant.
I like the ideas of liberte, egalite and fraternite as those in the UK also (mostly) follow these principles.
I care about all humans.
Syrians are like my brothers too, and hundreds of Syrian CIVILIANS were killed in revenge attacks on Saturday, over 100 children dead. Children.
War is evil, for all participants. However what we saw at Wembly was solidarity mixed in with a one sided sabre-rattling call to arms.
200,000 people have been killed in Syria over the last 3 and half years, the equivalent of a Paris death toll each day. Facts like that don’t get mentioned often over here.
I agree with you totally, they should not be forgotten and a better solution is needed to get peace. Random bombing might kill some terrorists, but will add to the death toll of innocents.
Hope you share Arsenal values one day.
Victory through harmony is the Arsenal motto. Good values.
A show of class by Wenger. Koscielny deserves a rest now more than ever.
Football is football and humanity is humanity. Every human life is valuable, equal and sacred. The attacks were atrocious. So are the bombing of civilians taking place every day in Syria. However just because Syria is not close to our sport it isn’t reported here. I understand that this is the reason, not racism or an oversight of human life but can we please stick to the football? I’m tired of this propaganda for a new crusade, a new war. Both sides of the war are killing civilians. What we need is to bring up the old slogan of the… Read more »
Let’s just stop fighting, please.
only the dead have been the end of war…Plato.
On another side, it tells you what the world is turning to. Well, to me, Americans are be blame here because of their films which encourage this things(80% of their films is all about shooting and bombing and also revealing tactics of doing these things). Remember, what we watch affects our brains
tupac said it all…Let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live and let’s change the way we treat each other. You see the old way wasn’t working so it’s on us to do what we gotta do, to survive. There’s war on the streets and the war in the Middle East. Instead of war on poverty.