French football stars let Macron score in charity match

French President Emmanuel Macron joined in a star-studded charity soccer match to raise money for hospitalized children, but the way the players treated him you’d think he was the one they were raising money for. A second half foul on former Arsenal forward Robert Pires saw journalist Jacques Vendroux’s side awarded a penalty, with the match poised for a tense ender at 4-3. Up stepped the hero of the hour-and-a-half Macron (well, as up as he is able to step) who nervously placed the ball, took a half-hearted run up and scuffed the ball slowly towards the bottom corner of the goal. Whether out of pity, charity, good humor or fear of reprisal, the keeper was generously rooted to the spot. Following the match, Macron posed alongside French footballing royalty, such as Didier Drogba, Didier Deschamps, Laurent Blanc and Arsene Wenger with a novelty oversized check for €57,500 ($61,700), the amount raised by the match. Which is somewhat low, considering that everyone who was involved in it is a multimillionaire.