VIDEO SHOWS: FRENCH MEN'S NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM COACH DIDIER DESCHAMPS AND CAPTAIN KYLIAN MBAPPE SPEAKING AT PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF 2015 PARIS ATTACKS WHEN THEY WILL PLAY UKRAINE IN A WORLD CUP QUALIFYING MATCH EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: FILE FOOTAGE OF PEOPLE EVACUATING STADE DE FRANCE DURING 2015 PARIS ATTACKS AVAILABLE IN 0531-EUROPE-ATTACKS/FRANCE-FILE RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: PARIS, FRANCE (NOVEMBER 12, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. CAPTAIN OF FRENCH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM, KYLIAN MBAPPE, WALKING TO GIVE PRESS CONFERENCE 2. MBAPPE LISTENING TO QUESTION 3. (SOUNDBITE) (French) CAPTAIN OF FRENCH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM, KYLIAN MBAPPE, SAYING: "Before we begin the press conference, I'd just like to say a few words on behalf of the entire French team, the players, the staff, and everyone involved, because I don’t know if we’ll have the chance to talk about it tomorrow. Everyone knows how special tomorrow is, not in the best sense of the word. So we wanted to remember all those who have lost loved ones, who have been affected, hurt, whether mentally or physically. We will try tomorrow to pay tribute to all these people, both during the day and during the match, by trying to bring smiles to the faces of those who come to the stadium, even though we know it's not a joyful day. But we want to make the French people understand that, despite the fact that there's a World Cup qualifier at stake, there are much more important things, and commemorating this day, which is unfortunately historic, is one of them, and we are not disconnected from that. So we wanted to send our thoughts to all the French people." 4. PHOTOGRAPHER ATTENDING PRESS CONFERENCE 5. (SOUNDBITE) (French) CAPTAIN OF FRENCH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM, KYLIAN MBAPPE, SAYING: "I was in Monaco (during the 2015 attacks). I was watching the match (France-Germany) like everyone else. And afterwards, I got the news like everyone else. I think it spread very quickly. There was also fear because, for me, it was close to home. At the time, my parents were still in Bondy (suburb north of Paris). So we thought, 'we don't know what's happening, we call our loved ones and then we see the atrocities that are taking place. We can't help but feel compassion, we can't help but feel sadness, and above all, we are eager for it to end' because we didn't know when it would. So it was a terrible moment, and I think everyone feels affected by this kind of event. Playing ten years later, as I said, is special, not in a good way unfortunately, but it's still special. We will try, as I said, to pay tribute throughout the day to all those who lost their lives, all those who were injured, traumatised, and affected by this tragic event." 6. MBAPPE LEAVING PRESS CONFERENCE 7. FRANCE COACH, DIDIER DESCHAMPS, ARRIVING AND SITTING DOWN 8. DESCHAMPS LISTENING TO QUESTION 9. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH NATIONAL FOOTBALL COACH, DIDIER DESCHAMPS, SAYING: "We know very well that this (anniversary of 2015 attacks) is part of the context. It's not a taboo subject, but what I emphasized is the importance of our upcoming match. The context is beyond your control. We can discuss it amongst ourselves, but then there's the media coverage. I find it hard to talk about it — it’s more a matter of restraint. There is a duty to remember, and the support and compassion we owe to all these families who have suffered and, I repeat, who have unfortunately lost loved ones, is part of the context. Every match has its own context. It's there. We'll make do, even if it's not ideal. It's just a football match, compared to what happened, it's nothing, but it's a very important football match for us." 10. DESCHAMPS LEAVING PRESS CONFERENCE STORY: France captain Kylian Mbappe said Les Bleus would like to remember those affected by the 2015 Paris attacks when they take on Ukraine in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday (November 13) the 10th anniversary of the tragedy that traumatised the nation. France were playing Germany that day when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt near Gate D of the Stade de France, killing one passerby, during the friendly game attended by then-president Francois Hollande. The series of coordinated attacks in Paris killed 130 people. The Islamic State claimed responsibility. Mbappe said at a press conference on Wednesday (November 12) the French side would try to "bring smiles to the faces of those who come to the stadium" even though it was not a joyful day. France will qualify for next year’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, if they beat Ukraine. Ten years ago, Mbappe was not playing for the national team, but he said he feared for his parents, who lived in the suburbs of Paris. "There’s a duty of remembrance, of support and compassion", said coach Didier Deschamps, who was on the France bench that night. Among the players who were at the Stade de France on November 13, 2015, only fullback Lucas Digne will be present on Thursday. (Production: Marco Trujillo, Lewis Macdonald)
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