PARIS (AP) — The French Football Federation pays tribute to the victims of the November 2015 attack. attack More than 130 people were killed and more than 400 injured in attacks on the Bataclan Theatre, Parisian cafes and the National Stadium.
Ten years after the worst attack on French soil since World War II, the French national team will host Ukraine on November 13 in a men’s World Cup qualifier.
To mark the anniversary, the French federation announced Friday that it would take part in nationwide ceremonies to remember the victims.
The match will be played at the Parc des Princes in Paris, rather than the Stade de France, one of the venues attacked that night. Players will wear the Brouet de France, a symbol of solidarity and remembrance of the victims.
Fundraising activities will be held around the stadium, and a minute’s silence will be observed before kick-off. A banner reading “Football for Peace” will be hung in the center of the pitch.
The night of the attack was a balmy Friday night, and the city’s bars and restaurants were packed. At the Bataclan concert venue, the American band Eagles of Death Metal was performing to a sold-out crowd. A soccer match between France and Germany had just begun at the National Stadium on the outskirts of Paris, with then-President Francois Hollande and then-Chancellor Angela Merkel in attendance.
In the bloody incident, jihadists detonated suicide vests and opened fire on cafes in the French capital, before massacring concertgoers at the Bataclan.
The Stade de France, on the outskirts of Saint-Denis, was the only place outside Paris to be attacked by Islamic State militants. Three suicide bombers attacked outside the stadium, killing one man. At least one of the bombers tried to sneak in despite not having a ticket, but was chased away by security guard Salim Tourabari.
The man who died at Saint-Denis was Manuel Díaz, a Portuguese retiree who bussed crowds of fans to the stadium to earn a little extra money.
