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Q: Franch National Footbal (Soccer) Team ( Answered 5 out of 5 stars,   7 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Franch National Footbal (Soccer) Team
Category: Sports and Recreation > Team Sports
Asked by: nelson-ga
List Price: $10.00
Posted: 10 Jul 2006 19:22 PDT
Expires: 09 Aug 2006 19:22 PDT
Question ID: 745144
How many members of the 2006 World Cup French team are actually of French ethnicity?
Answer  
Subject: Re: Franch National Footbal (Soccer) Team
Answered By: keystroke-ga on 10 Jul 2006 21:40 PDT
Rated:5 out of 5 stars
 
The quickest answer would be that almost none of them are! Most are
from French colonies in Africa or the Caribbean. There are seven who
are of French descent, seven from countries in Africa, seven from
Caribbean countries and two from South America.

Those who are of African descent:

Jean-Alain Boumsong is from Cameroon.
Patrick Vieira was born in Senegal.
Claude Makélélé--Zaire
Vikash Dhorasoo is Indo-Mauritian (but was born in France)
Sidney Govou-- Benin in West Africa
Zinedine Zidane-- Algerian
Alou Diarra, Senegal descent

Caribbean:
William Gallas, from Guadeloupe.
Éric Abidal is from Martinique.
Sylvain Wiltord, also of Guadeloupian descent.
Thierry Henry is of Antillean, with his father from Guadeloupe and his
mother from Martinique.
Louis Saha, with Guadeloupian parents.
Lilian Thuram, born in Guadeloupe
Pascal Chimbonda, born in Guadeloupe

South America:
Florent Malouda-- French Guiana
David Trézéguet-- Argentinian

Those who are of French descent:
Mickaël Landreau
Mikael Silvestre
Fabien Barthez
Gaël Givet
Willy Sagnol
Franck Ribéry
Grégory Coupet

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_national_football_team
nelson-ga rated this answer:5 out of 5 stars and gave an additional tip of: $2.50
Thank you.

Comments  
Subject: Re: Franch National Footbal (Soccer) Team
From: thither-ga on 10 Jul 2006 19:44 PDT
 
Well, all the players on the team, except for three, were born in
France (if this is what you are asking).

Please see http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/worldcup/2006/teams/fra/roster.html

I hope this helps.

Have a good day.
Subject: Re: Franch National Footbal (Soccer) Team
From: nelson-ga on 10 Jul 2006 20:04 PDT
 
No, that's not what I asked.  Ethnicity has nothing to do with where
one is born.  Many of the French players are clearly of African
descent.  They are not ethnically French.
Subject: Re: Franch National Footbal (Soccer) Team
From: myoarin-ga on 11 Jul 2006 06:08 PDT
 
Just a slight correction to the answer:  France has long since
included its former colonies as an integral part of the French
Republic, as the Departement d'outre-mer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Overseas_Departments
Subject: Re: Franch National Footbal (Soccer) Team
From: landreau-ga on 15 Jul 2006 20:08 PDT
 
"ethnithically" French is a question that doesn't make sense because
you can only be of an ethnic race.  If you'd like to know who was BORN
in France then ask that, because that makes more sense.  I know
Michael Landreau is French but that's all.
Subject: Re: Franch National Footbal (Soccer) Team
From: nelson-ga on 16 Jul 2006 14:05 PDT
 
landreau-ga, that makes no sense.  Being born in France may make one
French in citizenship, but not in blood.  I am American (citizenship)
of Portuguese (ethnic) descent.
Subject: Re: Franch National Footbal (Soccer) Team
From: myoarin-ga on 16 Jul 2006 15:17 PDT
 
Aha, Nelson, now we know!  
But seriously, that is one of the differences between much of Europe
and the USA:  over here, nationality still is often equated with
"natus", birth of native parentage.
Okay, in Germany and France and elsewhere, there are lots of people
with foreign surnames, but if they speak the language like a native
and have a European surname and don't look "foreign" they are
accepted, whether they or their parents immigrated or they proudly
know that their ancestors have been in the country for hundreds of
years.
But if they look foreign, ...?  Well, it is sort of like the race line
used to be in the States.
But in the States, everyone  - I think/hope -  accepts that someone is
an "American" if he or she is a citizen, regardless of how they look.

That probably wasn't PC.
Subject: Re: Franch National Footbal (Soccer) Team
From: jeremiecl-ga on 27 Jul 2006 07:09 PDT
 
Hi, Ethnicity is not a very good concept for France as there are no
"ethnic Americans".
As French nationality is acquired by the fact that you were born in
France, many French people have foreign origins. 30 to 40% have indeed
foreign grand-parents, but throughout history, there have been many
immigration waves.

1 - Most recents immigration waves were from Poland (end of 19th
century), Italy (because of fascism in the 30's), Spain (because of
Franco's dictatorship, in the 30's as well), Algeria/Morroco/Tunisia
(former colonies) and Black Western African French-speaking countries
(Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Centrafrique, Zaire, Congo etc. also former
colonies except Zaire which was Belgian). There are also some Asian,
most coming from Vietnam/Cambodia in the 70'-80's, fleeing the wars
there.

They all came to France to work were the French people did not want to
work : mines, factories etc. But they all had children who became
French and then got married, sometimes of course to French people with
older French origins, had children themselves etc.
Therefore they modified what you would call "French ethnicity",
meaning European-French.

Among the most brilliant people from France, you have Marie Curie, who
received two Nobel prizes and discovered radioactivity ; Raymond Kopa
/ Michel Platini / Zinedine Zidane, the best football players of the
world at their time (1950's, 1980', 2000's) ; Alexandre Dumas author
of the 3 Musketeers ; Nicolas Sarkozy, (may be) the next French
president.
- Curie was born in Poland and got married to a French guy (Pierre Curie).
- Raymon Kopa's real name is Kopalowski (Polish)
- Michel Platini is obsiouly from Italy (his father, Aldo emigrated from Italy)
- Zinedine Zidane's parents came from Algeria, but he's not arabic,
he's "kabyle" (celtic origins, believe or not)
- Alexandre Dumas was a "mulatre" : one his grand-parent was a black slave.
- Nicolas Sarkozy's family  is from Hungary

2 - People from the Caribean have been French full-rights citizens for
more than 150 years now, when slavery was abolished. They have both
African and European heritage, as both slaves or freed slaves and
masters mixed a lot together.
But DNA makes that "Black" colour takes the lead in most cases, so
even a 75% European person would look "not of French ethnicity" to
you. 7 players from France are from the Caribean.

Cheers,
Jérémie

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