French soccer stars cheer as left-wing coalition wins elections
3:41 PM EDT, July 8, 2024
The second round of parliamentary elections in France has ended. The French Ministry of the Interior announced that the New Popular Front won the largest number of seats. The reactions of the "Les Bleus" national team players to the results speak for themselves.
The New Popular Front, a coalition of left-wing and far-left groups, won 182 seats, outpacing the Together for the Republic coalition centered around Renaissance, which won 168 seats. A big surprise is that Marine Le Pen's National Rally came in third place after winning the first round, securing 143 seats.
The French national team reached the semifinals of Euro 2024 after eliminating Portugal in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals. Didier Deschamps' players' successes in Germany coincided with parliamentary elections in their home country. Some members of the French squad expressed their opinions on the final results on social media.
French soccer players commented on the parliamentary election results
Some players openly expressed their opposition to right-wing parties, so the victory of the New Popular Front was in their favor. For example, Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni wrote on social media: "Victory of the people!".
FC Barcelona player Jules Kounde, who has spoken out more frequently on political matters, opted for a longer reflection. He publicly urged votes against Marine Le Pen's party, so, in his view, the victory of the left-wing party was a success for the French.
Relief, like the anxiety of the past few weeks, is immense. Congratulations to all French people who mobilized so that this beautiful country, France, is not ruled by the far-right - the defender wrote.
Additionally, PSG player Ousmane Dembele expressed his joy. Right after the election results were announced, the player posted a photo on Instagram in which he smiles after being whistled at the makeshift FC Barcelona stadium. This was a clear indication of his feelings about the situation in France.
Meanwhile, Liverpool's defender Ibrahima Konate posted a message on X with fences and the French flag, mimicking the so-called sanitary cordon, which encourages voters from other parties to choose the extreme right-wing rival. Marcus Thuram, son of French legend Lilian Thuram and currently a Didier Deschamps squad player, joined his teammates in expressing their delight with the current circumstances.
Congratulations to everyone who responded to the danger hanging over our beautiful country. Long live diversity, long live the Republic, long live France. The fight continues - we read on his Instastories.
