With France’s early elections fast approaching, France’s footballers, like many prominent figures during their country’s election campaign, have called on people to get out and vote.
But among the calls was a rare sight: France striker Marcus Thuram and his future captain and global star, Kylian Mbappe, calling on French people to vote “so that the Rally National will not succeed.”
Footballers at the peak of their careers rarely take a political stance. They have shown their support for causes such as Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ+ movement, but are unwilling to jeopardize their careers by openly supporting a political ideology, especially while still active.
So I was very surprised to see them both openly criticizing the other.
However, this is not the first time that an active football player has expressed political leanings. Here are some footballers who have publicly displayed their political ideology whilst playing the beautiful game of football.
Marcus Thuram and Kylian Mbappe against RN
Kylian Mbappe during a press conference.
Speaking to the media two days before the Euro 2024 match against Austria, Marcus Thuram repeated what his teammates had said a few days earlier, calling on people, especially young people, to go and vote, even if the match was in France. But he then went further, expressing his own take on the situation.
“Like Ousmane (Dembele) said, we have to tell everyone to go vote. We all have to fight every day so that this doesn’t happen and so that the Rally National (party) doesn’t succeed,” Thuram was quoted as telling media. The Telegraph India.
The Rally National (RN) is a French nationalist and right-wing populist party led by Marine Le Pen.
What was even more surprising was that France captain and international star Kylian Mbappe backed his teammate’s position.
“I agree with him. Kylian Mbappe is against extreme opinions and ideas that divide people. I want to be proud to represent France. I don’t want to represent a country that doesn’t match my values, our values,” Mbappe told a press conference..
French national parliamentary elections are scheduled for June 30 and July 7.
Socrates’ “Corinthian Democracy” and the “Dilettas Movement”
Socrates (right) movement in Diretas Já!
Credit: memoriasdaditadura.org.br
Socrates, named after the famous Greek philosopher, was a master of the game of ginga, and although he never won a World Cup with the Canaries, he was one of the best soccer players Brazil has ever produced.
But it’s not his footballing skills that Brazilians remember him for – it’s the icon he was, fighting for them and their rights.
During the final stages of Brazil’s dictatorship, Socrates was one of the most vocal advocates for democracy in the country, especially during the “Dilettas Jà” movement, in which he vowed to stay in Brazil and reject the Italian offer if elections were held in the country.
His philosophy and ideology led to “Democrasia Corintiana” or Corinthian Democracy, a protest against dictatorial rule.
according to El PaisPlayers, coaches and all employees at Socrates’ then club, Corinthians, agreed to make the internal decision by ballot, with everyone’s vote being given equal weight.
Brazil formally transitioned to democracy in 1985 when José Sarney became president.
Zvonimir Boban’s iconic nation-forming kick
The iconic image of Boban kicking a police officer.
Credit: X/@_forgottenfooty
Zvonimir Boban is not a name that is immediately recognisable to many modern football fans, despite his numerous Scudetto and UCL triumphs with AC Milan.
But show any Croatian the iconic photo above and they’ll tell you it was this Boban kick that gave birth to their country.
On May 13, 1990, at a time of rising tensions in Yugoslavia and football hooliganism at its peak, Dinamo Zagreb was playing a match against Red Star Belgrade. During the match, several violent fans invaded the pitch.
When Boban spotted a police officer punching a Dynamo fan, he ran over and delivered a karate kick to the officer’s face to make his displeasure known to them.
As a result, Belgrade fans destroyed the Maksimir Stadium while the police could only watch, with Boban infamously stating, “Where are the police? Where are the police?” Serie Air Weekly.
The incident is said to have deepened separatist sentiment, encouraging many Croats to join the War of Independence and ultimately leading to the founding of the Croatian state. The kick itself is seen as a symbol of the uprising against 70 years of Serbian rule in Yugoslavia.
In 1998, Boban captained Croatia to third place in their first World Cup appearance since independence.
Lucarelli, Communism and Serie A Refereeing
Credit: X/@garistengah_id
Unlike most footballers, Cristiano Lucarelli’s political views were an integral part of his identity. A staunch supporter of Communism, he expressed his views through various gestures throughout his career.
Most famously, while playing for Livorno, a club that espoused Communist ideals, he said: “We are [Livorno] “We cannot benefit from the trial because we are Communists!” he said, though he later retracted his statement. mirror.
Love Letters Between the Zapatistas and Zanetti
The Zapatista movement, once an armed revolution aimed at fighting for the rights, resources and protection of indigenous peoples in the Chiapas region, gradually became a political entity in Mexico and began to gain international recognition.
It’s unclear how any of this caught the attention of former Argentina full-back Javier Zanetti, but it left a deep impression on him.
In 2004, at the height of media attention, the Zapatista movement reportedly received help from Zanetti in the form of dressing room fines, an ambulance, football equipment and an Inter Milan shirt with his name and number on the back. Vice.
The aid was accompanied by a letter that read, “We believe in a better world, a non-globalized world, enriched by the cultural differences and customs of all its people. That is why we want to support you in your struggle to preserve your roots and fight for your ideals.”
The Zapatistas responded by saying, “We know that we are not walking this path of struggle alone.”
Zanetti helped Inter to forge close ties with the Zapatistas, and through them the people of Chiapas, and the Argentine is still involved in many charitable efforts, especially for the poor.
Published June 19, 2024 17:04 IST
