France Squad's ICE Plane Secret Exposed

The French national team travelled between World Cup host cities this summer aboard planes operated by GlobalX, a charter airline also contracted by US authorities for immigration deportation flights, according to The Guardian.

The revelation has ignited controversy in France, with members of the far-right National Rally party dismissing criticism from French players with a "shut up and dribble" attitude, a posture The Guardian notes has become familiar across professional sport worldwide.

France is far from alone in this situation. The Guardian reports that England's Football Association also arranged flights with GlobalX for the Three Lions' squad, and that Iran similarly used the same carrier. England's FA declined to comment on the arrangement.

France's squad is widely regarded as a reflection of the country's multicultural population, lending extra political charge to a story that sits well beyond the touchline.