Watch the friendly match between France and Germany

The German football authorities are planning to hold a meeting with the former French officer Daniel Nivel, who sustained serious injuries during the riots that occurred at the 1998 World Cup, during a friendly match between the two teams scheduled for next Saturday.

The German Football Association confirmed on Thursday that Nivel and his family have been invited to attend the match in Lyon, in collaboration with the French Football Association.

Nivel was attacked during the riots that erupted in the city of Lens before a match between Yugoslavia in 1998, which resulted in him being in a coma for six weeks and suffering severe speech and mobility impairments. Five of the attackers were sentenced to prison for attempted murder.

Bernd Neuendorf, president of the German Football Association, expressed his happiness to see Nivel and his family again in Lyon, praising their strength and their acceptance of the help provided to them, emphasizing that forgiveness is a sign of greatness.

Neuendorf added that the attack on Nivel was a dark moment in German football history, and their task now is to preserve the memory and reduce the risk of such crimes happening again in the future.

Nivel has been invited to attend several matches of the German national team in the past, and the German authorities plan to establish a charitable foundation in his name to combat violence in football and support victims. This foundation will be included within the Egidius Braun Foundation, affiliated with the German Football Association, with continued funding from the association.

Due to injury, the star of the French national team, Antoine Griezmann, will miss the upcoming friendly matches for the team against Germany at Groupama Stadium in Lyon and against Chile at Velodrome Stadium in Marseille.

French national team coach Didier Deschamps announced at a press conference that Griezmann will be absent due to pain in his right ankle. Griezmann is an important player in the French national team lineup, and these absences pose an additional challenge for coach Deschamps in planning for the upcoming matches.

It is planned that Griezmann's absence will be compensated by the player Mattéo Guendouzi, who will replace him in the French national team lineup during the two friendly matches.