“We must fight so that the RN does not pass.” Marcus Thuram was the first player on the French team to take a clear position on Saturday against the National Rally in the run-up to the legislative elections of June 30 and July 7. Until now, all the Blues questioned about the political situation in France and the strong surge of the far-right party, winner of the European elections on June 9 with 31.4% of the votes cast, had been content to call for a vote, without getting more wet. From Olivier Giroud to Ousmane Dembélé via Benjamin Pavard, Didier Deschamps’ troops had asked the French to fulfill their civic duty, and nothing more.
But the son of Lilian Thuram, 1998 world champion known for his anti-racist commitment, went much further, not hesitating to break the neutrality displayed by his teammates. The Inter Milan striker (26 years old), present at a press conference in Paderborn (North Rhine-Westphalia) two days before the entry into the running of the vice-world champions at Euro-2024 against Austria, did not shirk and responded clearly and without convolutions to questions about the upcoming electoral deadline.
“I think the situation is sad, very serious,” he declared to the media. “I learned about it (the RN’s victory in the Europeans, editor’s note) after the match against Canada (Sunday, editor’s note). We Everyone in the locker room was a little shocked. We have to tell everyone to go and vote, to fight every day so that the RN does not pass.
Thuram then did not hesitate to gently tackle his teammates. “It’s not enough to say that we have to go and vote, we have to explain how we got there,” he said, pointing to the role of the media: “I’m not going to quote any broadcast in particular but when I turn on my TV, I tell myself that it is done for the rise of the RN to arrive.
Mbappé eagerly awaited on Sunday
The striker then qualified his remarks somewhat, indicating that he had “no doubt about the fact that everyone thinks like (him) in the France team”. “I’m not here to force someone to say something even if they think it. Thanks to my father, I have enough control over this situation to be able to talk about it. I don’t think it’s very complicated to express yourself On that, it comes from my education, I know that a lot of people follow me on the networks, I am obliged to convey certain messages Growing up with my father, I feel responsible for keeping this kind of message,” said. he noted.
The political crisis in France has therefore hit the Blues’ Euro campaign head-on. The comments of captain Kylian Mbappé, who should be present at a press conference on Sunday in Düsseldorf on the eve of the match against Austria, will be closely scrutinized in this regard.
The tricolor superstar has never been afraid in the past to display his opinions on social subjects. He posted a message on social networks (“I hurt my France”) after the death of young Nahel, killed by a police officer in the Paris region, which caused riots in June 2023. Several internationals followed him not.
The French Football Federation, for its part, indicated to AFP that it had made it easier to obtain proxies for the Blues wishing to vote. On Sunday, officials from the French consulate in Düsseldorf must visit the players to validate the documents. According to a source at the FFF, nearly 80% of the group would be affected.