Ibrahima Konaté: “We won’t say it’s a normal game. In fact it is, we’re going to be playing football. But we’re not insensitive to what’s going on in the world. What we see on social networks is abominable. I don’t even have the words to describe the horror we are seeing”

Full statement from an RMC article (DeepL translated) answering to a journalist asking him wether the game against Israel could be considered a simple game of football.

>We’re here to play football, we don’t look at who we’re playing against. But we’re certainly not insensitive to what’s going on in the world. What we see on social networks is abominable. I don’t even have the words to describe the horror we’re seeing.

>The people I’m most worried about are young people, the new generation. Imagine children opening their phones, an 8 or 10 year old coming across videos of children and adults being beheaded… Imagine the psychological impact this can have on them. So I’m extremely worried about them. And I’m hugely concerned for the people who are suffering around the world today. Fighting terrorism is one thing. But civilians who have nothing to do with it and who are being killed en masse… I don’t have the words to describe that and it hurts me.

>All we want is peace in the world. It’s something that’s almost impossible to achieve today, but that’s really what we want. If we can help, through our behaviour, our words, the kindness we show each other, to calm the hearts of the people around us… Beyond religion, beyond conflicts, we are human beings. We have the same limbs, we have different skin colours, but we have the same blood and the same general functionality. If we can just remember that, that life is very short and that we just have to be happy with the people around us, I think we’d already be living in a better world.

Look at my beautiful, media trained, 194cm tall defender. Literally impossible to hate the guy lol.