Several players from the national team had taken a clear political stance before the new elections in France. After Sunday’s results, some of them spoke out publicly again.
The surprising outcome of the second round of the parliamentary elections in France has brought relief to the players of the Équipe Tricolore ahead of the European Championship semi-final against Spain. “Long live diversity, long live the Republic, long live France,” wrote former Bundesliga professional Marcus Thuram on Instagram.
He congratulated everyone who had responded to the danger that was looming over “our beautiful country.” Thuram ended his message with the words: “The fight continues.” Thuram was one of the players who had already spoken out clearly about the political situation in France following the outcome of the European elections.
The right-wing nationalist party Rassemblement National received more than 31 percent of the vote, while President Emmanuel Macron’s party received just under 15 percent. Macron then called for new elections in France. “The situation in France is sad, it is serious,” Thuram stressed. “This is the sad reality of our society,” Thuram said after the European elections.
“Victory of the people”
According to projections, the left-wing alliance was ahead in the second round of the parliamentary elections on Sunday. The Rassemblement National performed much worse than expected. It is likely to come in third place behind Macron’s centrist camp.
“The victory of the people,” wrote Thuram’s selection colleague Aurélien Tchouameni on X, formerly Twitter. “Congratulations to all French people who have stood up to ensure that this beautiful country that is France is not ruled by the extreme right,” wrote teammate Jules Koundé, also on X. The relief is as great as the concern has been in recent weeks.
The political debate has been a constant theme for the French throughout the European Championship, and captain Kylian Mbappé has also taken a clear stance against the right on several occasions. He and his team will face Spain in the semi-finals on Tuesday in Munich (9 p.m./ZDF and Magenta TV).
Source: Stern
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