French press review 20 November 2009

by Michael Fitzpatrick

Article published on the 2009-11-20 Latest update 2009-11-20 06:37 TU

Right-wing Le Figaro and business daily Les Echos have virtually identical headlines this morning, announcing that Europe has chosen its new president, the current Belgian Prime Minister, Herman Van Rompuy.

Both papers salute a man renowned for his skills as a negotiator and an agent of compromise. He also knows his way around Brussels. The British, who were rooting for their former prime minister Tony Blair, are as angry as a bag of cats.

Communist l'Humanité looks critically at the way the International Convention on the Rights of the Child is administered here in France. The document is now 20 years old and, says l'Huma, is broadly ignored in practice. Minors are detained, many kids have no school places, many never get anything vaguely resembling a holiday and police violence against under-age delinquents is almost routine.

Catholic La Croix looks at how Christians are dealing with the economic crisis. They're probably doing a lot more praying than usual, but they are also organising lots of charitable efforts, directed at those worst affected. The number of needy knocking at the doors of the charity Catholic Aid has risen by 24 per cent since June.

Libération gives pride of place to the footballing furore over Wednesday night's match between France and the Republic of Ireland.

The left-leaning paper sagely decides that the French qualification for the World Cup finals is immoral but in conformity with the rules of the game. Which has to say something about modern football. And modern morals.

Le Monde looks at the row over Algeria's performance, also on Wednesday, qualifying for the World Cup finals for the first time in 24 years. An objective observer might say it's only a game, but football in north Africa is a lot more serious than that.

In Tunisia, one of President Ben Ali's sons-in-law, the wonderfully named Slim Chiboub, was - until dodgy business deals caught up with him - long-time president of Espérance, the Tunisian football club.

In Morocco, the man who now controls the police force, General Benslimane, was director of the Royal Football Federation for 15 years. The guy who took over from him at the Federation is Ali Fassi Fihri, brother of the Foreign Affairs Minister and a cousin of the head of the government.

The Moroccan king's private secretary, Mounir Majidi, is on the board of Rabat's mythical Fath Union Sport.

Says Le Monde, in countries where there is very little freedom for political expression or public demonstration, football takes on a crucial function as a focus for the energies of the often disenchanted young. That helps to explain the close links maintained by those in high places with the clubs which can mobilise thousands of fans.

It also helps to explain why the Egyptian and Algerian governments are currently engaged in a diplomatic war over the result of last Wednesday's match in Omdurman.

And it might encourage Ireland's great lump of a Prime Minister, Brian Cowen, to save his breath for cooling his porridge.