DAMASCUS, July 16 -- In the al-Jahez Park in Syrian capital Damascus, people waved French flags as they were watching the World Cup final between France and Croatia on a giant screen, a sign that the love of football is not affected by the country's deteriorating relations with the West.

The French Embassy in Syria has for long closed amid rising tension between Damascus and the West as a result of the Syrian war.

On top of that, France took part in a wide-scale offensive alongside the United States and Britain on Syrian military sites last April.

The Syrian government repeatedly accused France of supporting the terrorist groups in Syria, while Paris has accused the administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of carrying out chemical attacks in rebel-held areas in Syria.

But the tension could not stop French football fans in Syria from raising the French flags, which have disappeared from any diplomatic representation in Syria.

Some die-hard fans even painted the blue-white-red flags on their faces, while some others wore blue wigs and chanted for their favorite team during the match.

Little children also joined the football craze and cheered for the French team.

Most of the audience were cheering for France, while some others supported the Croatian team "because they play well."

"I have been supporting the French team for a very long time and I love how they play," Muhammad, a fan of the French team, told Xinhua.

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