Public discourse and the conceptualization of football in France since 1998

Abstract

French national football team has undoubtedly experienced the most eventful and dramatic period in its history, surpassing the football champagne era of the 1980s in terms of both success and controversy. As far as playing performance is concerned, there have been notable successes in three tournaments (1998, 2000, 2006) and relatively ignominious exits in the group stages of others (2002, 2008, 2010), whilst in the 2012 European Championships the team lost tamely to Spain at the quarter final stage. However, the significance of the team's exploits for the French nation has frequently gone far beyond straightforward joy or disappointment as a reaction to results on the pitch. In short, a turbulent, intense and complex relationship has developed between les Bleus and the French nation.