Macron responds to Swedish comedy group’s World Cup taunt

A Swedish comedy duo’s viral video mocking France ahead of their World Cup match against Sweden drew a direct reply from French President Emmanuel Macron.

The group, “Opassande,” posted a clip on Instagram showing them “kidnapping” a baguette and pouring herring over it, demanding France lose to Sweden for its return. The video amassed over 11 million views by Wednesday evening and was broadcast by French TV channel TF1+ before the match.

Macron responded to the post with a simple “No,” rejecting the demand. The comedians, Joel Balkow and Erik Essén, initially assumed the reply came from a fake account but later confirmed it was genuine.

Despite the stunt, Sweden lost 3-0 to France. The group said the video sparked playful responses, including a parody threatening IKEA furniture, and was received in good humor.