Trevor Noah Explains His ‘Africa Won The World Cup’ Joke

Trevor Noah Explains His ‘Africa Won The World Cup’ Joke. The French ambassador to the US Gerard Araud got upset that Trevor Noah congratulated Africa on France’s World Cup victory. The ambassador penned a letter to Noah to express his disagreement. He said only two of the 23 members of France’s World Cup-winning team came directly from Africa, and others’ parents had immigrated from there.

In his defense, Noah said, “My opinion is black people all over the world were celebrating the African-ness of the French players. Not in a negative way but in a positive way, as in, ‘Look at these Africans, who can become French.”

“When I’m saying ‘African’ I’m not saying it to exclude them from their French-ness, I’m saying it to include them in my African-ness. I’m saying, ‘I see you, my French brother of African descent,” Noah reasoned.

When I say they're African, I’m not saying it as a way to exclude them from their Frenchness. I’m saying it to include them in my Africanness. https://t.co/8RW4Rvt7m6

— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) July 19, 2018