Christian Karembeu, The 1998 world champion with France and former Real Madrid player among other teams, revealed that two of his relatives were killed during the riots in the French territory of New Caledonia, the country where he was born 53 years ago.
In an interview with Europa 1 radio, Karembeu He explained, the two dead relatives, a nephew and a niece, were victims of snipers’ gunshots that hit them in the head.
Talks about the killings and calls for an investigation
“I lost family members, so he remained silent,” said Karembeu, who has not spoken so far about the crisis his country is facing. “Because I’m sad.”
When asked if these were murders, the former midfielder responded: “I don’t want to, because the word is strong, but… It is true that yes, it is a murder and we hope that there will be inquiries and investigations into these murders. “
The president of France, Emmanuel Macron decided on Monday to lift the state of emergency imposed this month on the New Caledonia archipelago after an outbreak of violence that erupted in mid-May led to the deaths of seven people in shootings, including at least three belonging to the indigenous community of Kanak. and two gendarmes.
The reason for the protest
The protests took place in response to the French government’s attempts to amend the French Constitution and change the voting rolls in New Caledonia.
Opponents fear the move will benefit pro-French politicians in New Caledonia, where the indigenous Kanaks, supporters of independence, have long pushed for independence from France, against a backdrop of stark differences. in the economy.
Born and born on the island of Lifou
Karembeu, who is Kanak, was born on the island of Lifou in New Caledonia and maintains strong ties to its roots. After moving to France as a teenager, he won two Champions Leagues with Real Madrid in 1998 and 2000, as well as the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with the French team.
His football career started at Nantes (1990-1995) and continued at Sampdoria (1995-1997), Real Madrid (1997-2000), Middlesbrough (2000-2001), Olympiacos (2001-2004), Servette (2004-2005) ) and Basel (2005-2006),
New Caledonia became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III, Napoleon’s nephew and heir. It became an overseas territory after World War II, with French citizenship granted to all Kanaks in 1957.
Karembeu’s grandparents were sent to Paris in 1931 from the islands and were considered “cannibals.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
