After Marcus Thuram, the day before, it was the captain of the France team, Kylian Mbappé, who engaged in the battle for the legislative elections, Sunday June 16, during a press conference in Düsseldorf (Germany) , on the eve of the French team’s first match in Euro 2024, against Austria.
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“I think we are at a crucial moment in the history of our country, stated Mbappé from the start of his speech. We have to know how to sort things out and have a sense of priorities: the Euro has a very important place in our careers, but we are citizens above all, and I think that we must not be disconnected from the world that surrounds us. surrounds, and even less when it concerns our country. » For the captain of the Blues, it was a question of correcting certain comments made by players earlier in the week, which may have seemed disconnected from the French political situation and its seriousness.
But Mbappé went further, explaining “share the same values as Marcus [Thuram qui, samedi, a appelé clairement à faire barrage au Rassemblement national] », “values of diversity, tolerance, respect”. “I really want to address all the French people and especially the young generation, he continued. I think we are a generation that can make a difference. We see that the extremes are at the gates of power and we have the opportunity to choose the future of our country. This is why I call on all young people to go and vote, to become aware of the importance of the situation. I hope that my voice will carry as much as possible, because we need to identify with this country, with our values, which are values of diversity, tolerance, respect and that is undeniable. »
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A joint initiative “very soon”
The French leader also announced that beyond individual positions, French players would take a common initiative ” very soon “ : “We talked a lot about the message we could give as a team. It’s important to us, we’re going to do it (…)it helps protect the youngest. (…) It’s difficult to come here and express yourself in front of all the journalists, all the people, to give a position on an area that they don’t necessarily understand. That’s why as a team we want to have something to protect these guys, so that they don’t give you the impression that they don’t care, because there is no There’s no one on the team who cares. »
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If the player did not explicitly mention the National Rally, he planned on the legislative vote: “I hope we make the right choice and I hope we will still be proud to wear this jersey on July 7. (…) Kylian Mbappé is against extremes, against ideas that divide. (…). I don’t want to represent a country that doesn’t correspond to our values. I think and hope that we are all in the same situation. »
Saturday evening, in a press release released after Marcus Thuram’s speech, the French Football Federation (FFF) asked “avoid any form of pressure and political use of the French team”. Saying “very attached to freedom of expression”the FFF explained in a press release that it “joins the necessary call to vote”, but “wishes its neutrality to be understood and respected by all (…) as well as that of selection.”
