Born in Paris, where he grew up in the eastern districts of the capital before leaving for the Sochaux training center in 2014, then in Leipzig and now in Liverpool, Ibrahima Konaté is at 25 one of the most successful players more solar and charismatic of the Blues, even if he is content for the moment with a replacement role at the Euro, having not played for almost two months. For more than 20 minutes, in a relatively tense context two days before the round of 16 against Belgium, the international defender, who has dual French and Malian nationality, broadcast a smile, sporting convictions but also a very argued vision of the situation in France. “Of course it worries me.he first confided. I don’t want to give power to certain people whose aim is to divide people. Diversity in France is our strength, it’s the priority. I come from a family of immigrants. When I hear everything that is said on social networks or on TV channels, I tell myself that the media have a very important role and that unfortunately sometimes they don’t play it well, they surf on fear. We must stop prejudices and stereotypes, be together in all circumstances.
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A member of a large family, with six brothers and one sister, Ibrahima Konaté then spoke about his personal and family situation, his parents coming from Malian villages having arrived in France to find work. “When I see my parents, the jobs they had, I tell myself that we can’t just take the harmful side [de l’immigration, NDLR] because there is always a minority who will cause harm to the majority. They did difficult jobs, like garbage collectors or cleaners, they worked impossible hours… We don’t highlight these kinds of people who gave their health for France, and that saddens me. »
The Liverpool defender, a practicing Muslim, then moved onto more slippery ground around religious freedoms in France. “Immigration and Islam are the two things that we talk about a lot. Whether it’s veiled women, the ban on wearing the veil in public spaces… We have to stop. It’s never the people concerned who talk about these subjects, if they have this freedom, what they think about it…”
“You can’t make a puzzle with the same pieces”
Before declaring: “France is a beautiful country. There are people who are at home and who only have the news channels to get information. I can’t blame them, sometimes it’s complicated to judge what is true and what is false, some have had experiences with certain people that have marked them for life, I can understand that too. But you really have to go and meet people. Beyond appearances and skin color, there are hearts, that’s the most important thing. You can’t make a puzzle with the same pieces. You need different pieces to build something solid. That’s the most important thing for France.”
Before announcing that the joint statement from the Blues, initiated by Thuram and Mbappé, is postponed without theIbrahima Konaté concludes: “I encourage everyone to go and vote, I know it’s something personal. I’m not going to tell people what to do but we have to be together in all circumstances. Life is very short, it’s beautiful, we have to enjoy it all together, not be in the division that will only bring harm to everyone, as well as to future generations.”
2024-06-29 11:11:29
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