Kylian Mbappe found himself at the centre of political turmoil in his country on the eve of France’s opening match of Euro 2024, describing the tumultuous events in his home country as a key moment in French history.
The usual question about what threat Austria poses in the Group D match in Duesseldorf was not addressed in his pre-match press conference, with Mbappe openly expressing his fears, describing France’s situation as “dire”.
“This is an unprecedented event,” Mbappe said, “which is why I want to speak to the whole French nation, but also to the young people: we are a generation that can make a difference. We see that extreme people are knocking on the doors of power, and we have the chance to shape the future of our country.”
The French Football Federation on Saturday called for the national team’s neutrality to be respected and for the team to not be politicized, following President Emmanuel Macron’s surprise announcement a week ago of early parliamentary elections following France’s landslide defeat to Marine Le Pen’s far-right party in the European Union membership vote.
The move has plunged France into political uncertainty and roiled financial markets. Mr. Macron’s gamble could give far-right forces a chance to seize real political power, weakening his government three years before his term expires.
Opinion polls suggest the far-right National Rally (RN) party could come out on top for the first time in the June 30-July 7 vote, but may not have enough of an absolute majority to govern on its own.
The French Football Federation said it rejected any pressure or politicisation of the national team, but insisted players were free to express their opinions.
Forward Marcus Thuram called on people to “fight every day” to prevent RN from taking power, and Mbappe addressed the situation head-on.
“I agree with him, I agree with him when he spoke about diversity, tolerance and respect,” Mbappe said. “Tomorrow’s match is very important. I think I’m in a position to say that, and I’ve said it many times before, there are situations that are even more important than the match.”
“Kylian Mbappé is against extreme opinions and ideas that divide people. I am proud to represent France, but I do not want to represent a country that does not align with my values and ours.”
UEFA strictly prohibits teams and players from making political statements and while Mbappe did not rule it out on Monday, he said he did not want to draw attention to it.
“Everybody is concerned, everybody understands the situation in France. Some people feel more comfortable saying something, speaking up,” the 25-year-old said. “We want to protect all our players and of course we want to protect the French team. But we are thinking about this and we are going to do something about it, so keep an eye out.”
“Some people say you can’t mix football and politics, but what we’re talking about here is a really important situation. It’s bigger than the match. The situation in our country is dire and we need to act.”
Manager Didier Deschamps said he respected his players’ right to express their political views.
“It’s their free will,” he said. “We must be aware that they are great athletes but also French citizens and are not indifferent or indifferent to the situation in their country.”
