{"id":497261,"date":"2026-06-13T05:14:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T05:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/497261\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T05:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T05:14:13","slug":"france-followed-to-world-cup-by-home-politics-after-kylian-mbappes-swipe-at-far-right-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/497261\/","title":{"rendered":"France followed to World Cup by home politics after Kylian Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s swipe at far right \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIf there\u2019s one wish I have, it\u2019s for you to ask my players about the opponents, about football,\u201d Didier Deschamps<\/a> told journalists after announcing France\u2019s World Cup<\/a> squad. \u201cI understand that you might feel obliged to ask other questions, but they\u2019re not there to answer them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deschamps has found himself batting away questions about off-pitch matters beyond his scope before his final tournament as head coach. He has sought to protect his players from media scrutiny while insisting they are anything but sheltered from the wider political issues surrounding this tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe geopolitical situation is complex,\u201d Deschamps said, \u201cbut that doesn\u2019t make it a taboo subject. We talk about everything, whether it\u2019s the players among themselves or between us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 57-year-old was also asked about Kylian Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s<\/a> criticism of the far right in an interview with Vanity Fair last month. In advance of next year\u2019s presidential elections in France, the Real Madrid forward reiterated his criticism of Marine Le Pen\u2019s National Rally party. \u201cI know what it means and what consequences it can have for my country when people like them come to power,\u201d the France captain said.<\/p>\n

Deschamps defended Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s decision to continue speaking out: \u201cYou have freedom of expression, and so do my players. I\u2019m not going to tell them not to speak. They are well aware that there are sensitive topics, they are citizens.\u201d However, he added that he would \u201cnever\u201d comment on the subject himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere might be pros and cons, but what I\u2019m interested in is Kylian, who he is and the footballer he is,\u201d Deschamps went on. \u201cBut he is also a citizen, who is allowed to feel affected. It will spark debate but he\u2019d be criticised either way, whether he speaks out or not. The only judgment I will make is based on what happens on the pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mbapp\u00e9 is the latest in a distinguished line of France players to have taken on the far right. Zinedine Zidane famously called on voters to reject Jean-Marie Le Pen in the second round of the 2002 presidential election, describing his party as one \u201cwhich does not correspond to France\u2019s values\u201d. Lilian Thuram was even more vocal in his opposition to Le Pen, who repeatedly attacked the national team over the diverse origins of its players.<\/p>\n

\"FrenchFrench defender Lilian Thuram jumps to control the ball next to Dutch forward Ruud van Nistelrooy during a Euro 2008 match. Photograph: Franck Fife\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

[\u00a0World Cup lift-off: 80,000 fans, nine South Africa players and three red cardsOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Les Bleus\u2019 vocal opposition emerged again during Euro 2024. The tournament had coincided with parliamentary snap elections in France, called by Emmanuel Macron shortly after the National Rally came out on top in that year\u2019s European elections.<\/p>\n

It was Marcus Thuram, Lilian\u2019s son, who first urged his fellow citizens to \u201cfight daily\u201d against the far right in the build-up to the election. In a press conference a few days later, Mbapp\u00e9 said he agreed with his team-mate and warned against voting for the \u201cextremes\u201d who were \u201cat the gates of power\u201d.<\/p>\n

Le Pen\u2019s party slipped to third in the parliamentary election\u2019s runoff round, behind a coalition of left-wing parties and one consisting of Macron allies. The result, a few days before the semi-final against Spain, was celebrated by several France players on social media.<\/p>\n

Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s most recent comments drew ambivalent responses from the rest of the French football landscape, however. \u201cPolitics isn\u2019t my thing,\u201d his former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Presnel Kimpembe told the radio station RTL. \u201cIt\u2019s not a matter of being scared or otherwise. Everyone is entitled to think and to say what they want, but you do have to think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DidierDidier Deschamps said he will not stop his players from expressing their private opinions. Photograph: Franck Fife\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Others have accused the forward of creating a needless distraction before the tournament. The World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry, a pundit for the radio station RMC, argued that the comments could \u201ccreate issues and tensions\u201d. Although the former striker conceded that Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s statement was \u201ccourageous\u201d, he lamented the \u201cconsequences\u201d it could have for the France team.<\/p>\n

That sentiment was echoed by Michel Platini, who told RTL that Mbapp\u00e9 should stay politically neutral as France\u2019s captain. \u201cYou are playing for all French people,\u201d Platini said. \u201cOnce you take a stand, you fall out with half of the world.\u201d So far, Mbapp\u00e9 has opted against following their advice.<\/p>\n

This tournament does not coincide with a national election but next year\u2019s presidential vote looms large. The presumptive National Rally nominee, Jordan Bardella, has a clear lead in every poll and appears to be the favourite to be elected as Macron\u2019s successor.<\/p>\n

Despite Deschamps\u2019s request, it will be difficult for Les Bleus to skirt around political questions, whether it comes to issues back home or those surrounding the United States, where they have made Boston their base. Mbapp\u00e9, as the team\u2019s de facto spokesperson, will be aware that his appearances will be eagerly scrutinised for reasons beyond his on-pitch displays. \u2013 Guardian<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Shakira in yellow wows crowds at World Cup opening ceremonyOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cIf there\u2019s one wish I have, it\u2019s for you to ask my players about the opponents, about football,\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":497262,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[213001,2956,1814,61,60,65024,112,4018],"class_list":["post-497261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-didier-deschamps","tag-fifa","tag-france","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-kylian-mbappe","tag-sports","tag-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=497261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/497262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=497261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=497261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=497261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}