Marcus Thuram did not mince his words at a press conference. He was the first player on the French football team to state his position on the political situation in the country a few days before the legislative elections. Here is what he said.
“We must fight so that the RN does not pass.“Marcus Thuram was the first player from the French team to take a clear position this Saturday against the National Rally in view of 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 this (the victory of the RN in the Europeans, editor’s note) after the match against Canada (Sunday, editor’s note). We were all a little shocked in the locker room. We must tell everyone to go and vote, to fight on a daily basis 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 cite any particular show, but when I turn on my TV, I tell myself that it’s made for the rise of the RN to happen.”
“Avoid any form of political use”
The attacker then qualified his remarks somewhat, indicating that he had “notno doubt that everyone thinks like (him) in the French team“.
“I’m not here to force anyone to say something even if they mean 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 this, it comes from my education, I know that lots 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“, he noted.
A few hours after Thuram’s exit, the French Football Federation 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 “hopes that its neutrality will be understood and respected by all (…) as well as that of selection.“
The body had previously clarified 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.
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