French footballer Apologises for ‘nervous laugh’ during minute’s silence

The minute’s silence also remembered a teacher killed last week in the northern French city of Arras in what the government called an Islamist terror attack.

Todibo, who is in the France team for Tuesday’s friendly match against Scotland in Lille, said he had never intended to offend.

“I wanted to express myself today in relation to the extent of the situation and the interpretation of the situation which is quite crazy,” he said before France’s press conference in Lille.

“The context was unusual, we were among rival fans who had made certain jokes and I had this nervous laugh that came out.

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“I wanted to apologise to all the people who I could have offended, that’s the least I can do. Let there be no mistake about that.”

“I’m hurt because it taints the education that my mother gave me,” he continued.

“Some said that I laughed during this minute of silence because I was making fun of the death of a teacher, you should know that my mother has worked in National Education for 20 years and I have enormous respect for these people.

“This could have happened to my mother. It bothers me because it reflects an image which is not mine.