Paris: The French Football Federation says France's friendly match against England in London on Tuesday will still take place, despite major concerns over safety following a terrifying night of violence in Paris.
The FFF says on its website Saturday that its president Noel Le Graet has confirmed that the friendly at Wembley "will go ahead."
France beat Germany 2-0 on Friday at Stade de France in a game overshadowed by the events around the city.
Earlier the English FA had said on its twitter feed: "We will liaise with the French Federation in due course and update accordingly" to see whether the game would be played.
England fans have been urged to join their French counterparts in singing La Marseillaise in a show of solidarity. A campaign for England fans to sing the French national anthem before the international friendly on Tuesday evening has been backed by ITV football presenter, Mark Pougatch.
Thousands of people of online have already demonstrated their solidarity against the terrorist attacks by posting the iconic scene from Casablanca, where the main character leads an impromptu rendition of the song in a cafe in war-time France.
Teams in Serie B showed their support for the victims by playing the anthem before Saturday's clash between Livorno and Vicenza.
After Serie B chiefs announced they planned to honour the dead by playing La Marseillaise, fans on Twitter have applauded the gesture and suggested Wembley officials help organise simialr action on Tuesday night.
The song was first created as a call to arms at the beginning of the French Revolution, however the anthem has since been adopted as the national anthem, extolling the virtues of brotherhood, liberty and equality.
It's hoped the Football Association will back the initiative to ask the home supporters to express their support for France by singing the anthem before the game.
Meanwhile, all major sports events in the Paris region have been suspended a French television channel reported.
There were already no matches scheduled this weekend in France's elite Ligue 1 soccer division.
European Professional Cup Rugby said on Saturday that all Champions Cup and Challenge Cup games in France this weekend would be cancelled. All basketball and volleyball matches in the country were also called off, their respective federations said.
The committee handling France's bid to host the 2024 summer Games said: "As Parisians we stand in solidarity with the people of Paris and of France in uniting against these acts of terror."
The International Olympic Committee said that the Olympic flag would be at half-mast.
"We stand united with all people from all around the globe. Our thoughts are of course with the families and friends of those who have been killed or wounded," the IOC said in a statement. "Today all people of goodwill will say: We are all French."
At Old Trafford, Zinedine Zidane and Patrick Vieira decided not to play in the Unicef Match for Children at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
The World Cup-winning former France teammates were due to be part of the Rest of the World squad taking on a Great Britain XI led by David Beckham.
But both withdrew following the tragic events.
Paris Saint-Germain defender Maxwell also pulled out but former France stars Robert Pires and Mikael Silvestre both played in the game.
Luis Figo took over captaincy duties for the Rest of the World XI in his former Real Madrid teammate Zidane's absence.
The attacks have heightened security concerns over next summer's European Championships, according to France's leading football official. Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Saint-Etienne and Toulouse and two stadiums in Paris - including the Stade de France, which is due to host the final - are all due to host games.
Security concerns surrounding the tournament had already been heightened by the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January, and now French Football Federation president Noel Le Great has admitted the latest wave of attacks will only increase those fears.
"For the Euros, there was already a big worry," he told a French sports newspaper. "Today it's obviously even stronger."
(Reuters)
