Really, I can’t blame France’s Secretary of State for Francophony.

French is slipping in global status. What used to be lingua franca throughout Europe is anything but, in 2016. Most of us know it. French linguists certainly do.

And most of that slippage is moving towards English, and England and France were arch-rivals for hundreds of years.

They latest setback for the French language?

The “official anthem” of the Euro 2016 tournament — hosted by France — is in English.

What really galls Andre Vallini, the Francophony man, is that the choice of I Was Made for Lovin’ You (My Team) (embedded on the link) was made by the French Football Federation.

It is a remake of the 1979 hit song by the American band Kiss. The cover version is by a French group named Skip the Use.

Said Vallini: “Euro 2016 will be a great festival of sport which is taking place in France and will therefore project the image of our country abroad – and our language, too. It is therefore incomprehensible that the anthem of the French national team should be in English.”

He also noted that the choice comes “at a time when we are defending the place of the French language in international institutions, and especially European institutions.”

Well, got the FFF there.

This probably falls under the heading of “English is just handier” … without the French Federation giving it much thought beyond the fact that the song allows fans to sing it — and insert their country’s name where Kiss sang “baby”.

Hence: “I was made for lovin’ you England“, et cetera.

And, let’s face it, secretary Vallini, the fans who will travel to France for the 24-nation tournament beginning June 10 … probably 1) know that tune in English and 2) are more likely to speak English than they are French.

This is not the first time a song in English got a lot of play at a major French soccer event.

In 1998, the song played just before kickoff of every match was Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now.

It would help if France were a little handier at turning out pop anthems. (Quick, name one.)

They are not very good at that, and it costs them in the language wars.