The meeting between Wales and Portugal takes place this Saturday, September 16th in Nice, as part of the first round of the Rugby World Cup in France (September 8th – October 28th).
C’est l’histoire d’une ballade des années 60, dont les supporters de rugby du pays de Galles se sont emparés, pour encourager notamment leur équipe nationale. Mais des paroles qui décrivent… un féminicide.
The song « Delilah », released in 1968 and performed by Welsh singer Tom Jones, quickly became popular and was often heard in the stands of rugby stadiums where the Welsh national team played. However, will the supporters sing it this Saturday, September 16th, at the Allianz Riviera in Nice, during the Wales – Portugal match?
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Here is an excerpt from the lyrics: « At dawn, when this man left, I was waiting / I crossed the street to his house and she opened the door / She was standing there, laughing / I felt the knife in my hand and she stopped laughing / […] / Forgive me, Delilah, I just couldn’t bear it anymore »
The song tells the story of a femicide.
Conscients que les mots de ce titre presque soixantenaire choquent aujourd’hui, les dirigeants gallois ont réagi. En février dernier, la Fédération a exigé qu’il ne soit plus jamais diffusé au Millenium Stadium de Cardiff, stade « domicile » des sélections nationales.
The WRU is encouraging supporters to no longer sing it, moreover, in all stadiums around the world. This decision came after serious accusations of sexism, misogyny, and racism within the Welsh Federation a few weeks ago. Two women had complained about a « toxic culture. » According to their testimonies, a former official of the national women’s team had even considered suicide.
The controversy dates back several years. In 2014, as reported by France Inter, musician and politician Dafydd Iwan asked fans to stop singing this chant in the stands: « It trivializes the idea of killing a woman, » he declared at the time.
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Une injonction qui toutefois, est loin d’être acceptée par certains supporters gallois qui témoignent de leur volonté de continuer à entonner ce chant, « car c’est une chanson à chanter ensemble », faisant fi des paroles.
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