Diarra, who played 80 minutes of the match against Germany, said in a statement that his cousin was like “a big sister to me … In this climate of terror, it is important for all of us who are representatives of our country and its diversity to speak and remain united against a horror that has no colour, no religion.”
Diarra’s team-mate Antoine Griezmann, meanwhile, said that his sister Maude had escaped the attack at the Bataclan concert hall which left at least 87 people dead.
The Atlético Madrid forward confirmed early on Saturday that his sister had made it out, having earlier used social media to say: “God take care of my sister and the French.” He later wrote: “Thanks God my sister was able to exit the Bataclan. All my prayers to the victims and their families.”
The France coach, Didier Deschamps, and his German counterpart, Joachim Löw, were reportedly both told of the developing security situation in Paris at half-time but are understood not to have informed players at that stage, with the details still unclear. When the game ended, players were seen stopping in the tunnel area to watch television coverage and they were subsequently briefed by officials.