Macron wants games to be stopped if there is racism

Macron also insisted that the pay that female footballers receive should be more in line with that of men.

"We cannot become accustomed to homophobia and racism on the pretext that we are in a football stadium. There is no sport whose DNA, whose roots, whose mentality is hate speech," said Macron.

He was speaking to French television at the Lyon stadium just before the kick off of the women's World Cup final.

"We must say that it is a culture of hate," Macron added. "We fight against homophobia and racism throughout society. Should we accept it in our stadiums? Of course not."

Macron also said what men's and women's pay should "progressively converge."

"When you look at the TV audiences and attendance figures in the stadiums, you are experiencing a revolution, you are getting closer to the figures of men's football.

"Things will never be the same for this women's sport again." 

In football, women, he said, are paid "one tenth" of what men receive.

"Look at tennis, the bonuses at Roland Garros are almost the same today," he said. "You learn to how to be a fan yourself."