“It isn’t over yet,” Koundé said, speaking through a translator after France’s 1-0 win over Belgium at the the European Championship. “It is very important so that the extreme right-wing party … doesn’t come in.”
Tapping into voter frustration with inflation and a sense that many French families are being left behind by globalization, the National Rally is hoping to claim an outright majority so it can form France’s first far-right government since World War II. However, the outcome remains uncertain amid the complex voting system and political tactics.
France’s players, many of whom have immigrant backgrounds, have been asked regularly about the political situation back home in news conferences at Euro 2024.
France’s star striker, Kylian Mbappé, previously called on French people to vote and warned against “extremes” at a time when the far right seeks to take power. Another squad member, Ousmane Dembele, has said “the alarm bell has been sounded” and Marcus Thuram went further by saying French people “need to fight daily so that ... the National Rally does not succeed.”
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AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024