File photo of French President Emmanuel Macron
Bangkok: French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday insisted that sports should not be politicised ahead of Qatar's hosting of the World Cup.
"I think we must not politicise sport," said Macron, whose national team are defending the title they won in Russia in 2018.
French football captain Hugo Lloris has said that "When we are in France, when we welcome foreigners, we often want them to follow our rules, to respect our culture, and I will do the same when I go to Qatar".
Macron, who will go to Qatar if France reach the semi-finals, said it was "a very bad idea to politicise sport", noting that France will host the Olympic Games in 2024.
The president travelled to Russia in 2018 to see Lloris lift France's second World Cup title with a 4-2 win in the final over Croatia.
France will begin their defence of the World Cup trophy against Australia on Tuesday before also playing Denmark and Tunisia.
