Families divided by football allegiances are preparing for England’s blockbuster World Cup quarter-final against France on Saturday, with mother-daughter relationships and boastful Kylian Mbappe emails adding intrigue to the spectacle. The winner of the game between Gareth Southgate’s side and Didier Deschamps’ 2018 winners will go into the semi-finals in Qatar with every chance of lifting the trophy.
The contest on the pitch will not be the only clash, with some families preparing for the “light-hearted rivalry” that only comes with divided national loyalties. Alexia Leachman, 48, grew up in Cardiff but is also French and now lives in Uzes in the south of France – her two daughters, Lila, 12, and Sofia, eight, are both English, however, and big football fans also.
“I’m Welsh but I’m also French, I’m dual national, so I feel very French and I feel very Welsh, but I do not feel English at all,” Ms Leachman, author of Clear Your Head Trash, told the PA news agency. She said her daughters are “both really into football” and said that while she expects some “very good-hearted” banter, she will not be doing any “mollycoddling” no matter the result.
