The French team, before its match against Belgium, Monday July 1, in Düsseldorf (Germany). FRANCK FIFE / AFP
Between two Euro 2024 matches, the players of the French national football team keep one foot on the political field. On Monday, July 1, after Les Bleus had just beaten Belgium (1-0), defender Jules Koundé, named man of the match, was the first of them to react to the results of the first round of the legislative elections.
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“I was disappointed to see the direction our country is taking with strong support for a party that is against the values of living together, of respect, which wants to divide the French, said the FC Barcelona player. But I think there is a second round, that nothing is decided, that we still have to go and find the people who did not vote. It is important to block the National Rally. [RN]which is not a party that will bring more freedom, more living together.”
On Sunday June 30, the day of the vote, Jules Koundé had already expressed himself on X, writing that “The extreme right has never led a country towards more freedoms, more justice and living together” and “RN is not a solution”joining the position of striker Marcus Thuram, who had called, on June 15, “to fight so that the RN does not pass”.
“Diversity is our strength”
On Saturday, on the eve of the vote, their teammate Ibrahima Konaté also spoke on the subject. “We cannot leave power to certain people who are aiming to divide people, declared the defender during a press conference in Paderborn (Germany), where the Blues have been staying and training since mid-June. I think that diversity, in France, is our strength, and it always has been.”
The Liverpool FC player then referred to his personal journey to lament “prejudices, stereotypes” et “what is said on social networks or on television channels”. “I come from an immigrant family, recalled the native of Paris, of Malian origin. When I see my parents who had jobs as garbage collectors or cleaners, who worked impossible hours, and that we do not highlight these kinds of people who gave their health for France, it saddens me.
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These statements follow those of other players who, since the start of the competition, had called for voting without making their position known, or, like Kylian Mbappé, who had warned against ” the extremes “. The captain of the Blues had mentioned, on June 16, a « initiative commune » players, but this did not come to fruition until the first round, partly due to the difficulty in agreeing on a common message.
Asked about this subject on Sunday June 30, Kylian Mbappé has clearly not abandoned this idea. “It’s true that we said we were going to do something, but there were events that disrupted everything a bit, like my injury, and our results, he explained. But I think we’re going to have to do something, we’re going to get together with the guys to see.”
These exchanges could take place on Tuesday or Wednesday, before the trip to Hamburg, where the Blues are due to meet Portugal on Friday. For his part, Philippe Diallo, the president of the French Football Federation, who had highlighted on June 18, the “neutrality” of his institution, does not plan to speak again before the second round of the legislative elections.
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2024-07-02 14:32:56
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