France’s 1998 World Cup win is one of international football’s most unexpected underdog stories.
A team coming together to unite a divided nation, overcoming a team of superstars in the final.
Although a spate controversial FIFA news has brought Emmanuel Petit to question whether France won the World Cup on fair terms.
Speaking in a online interview the French World Cup winner said “For the past few weeks I’ve been asking myself ‘Did we really win the World Cup?’ I ask myself that question today. Was it fixed?”
Petit, who scored the third goal in the World Cup final victory over Brazil in 1998 added, “I have no idea. On the pitch we gave it everything. We truly gave it everything against our opponents, we did everything to win.”
The World Cup winning France side of 1998 (Ben Radford/Allsport)
The 1998 World Cup Final continues to be a football game surrounded in mystery. Star Brazilian striker Ronaldo, (the one, original and the best), was said to have suffered a convulsive fit on the day of the final and was pulled from the Brazil line up moments before kick off. Ronaldo was eventually restored to the starting line-up, but played below par as Brazil came out 3-0 losers in a game that kickstarted Zinedine Zidane and other French players to superstardom.
Speaking of his paranoia over favourable decisions to World Cup host nations, Petit wondered if the French team of 1998 was used as a political tool to keep a feelgood feeling in France.
“Weren’t we puppets? Haven’t we always only and solely been puppets, keeping the economy moving, and don’t worry about anything else.”
“Today I ask myself that question, did we really win the World Cup in 1998? Myself, I believe we did. In any case us, the players, we did everything for that.
“Beyond that, if there was anything else or not, I don’t know – but I do ask myself the question. It’s been 17 years since we won the World Cup, and for the last few weeks I do ask myself that question.”
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