I am no longer supporting England at the Euros.
I appreciate this is a reactive and convenient stance to take after a Denmark performance so bad it subjected me to my first migraine since watching Jools Holland’s 2006 Hootenanny. I promise it pre-dates that dismal display in Frankfurt.
Despite being among the 24,600 British-French dual nationals born in the UK, I have always unquestionably been an England fan. I feel very French, sure. My childhood memories are that of eating crepes, wearing striped shirts and huffing and puffing at the most minor of inconveniences.
Advert
But as a child, I was far more drawn to the roughness of Wayne Rooney than the slickness of Zinedine Zidane. Perhaps one day it's something I'll unpack with a therapist.
That support for England runs deep. I’m one of those twisted fans who savours the prospect of watching a qualifier against some landlocked principality on a Friday evening. I want to see a second-string England side demolish a team of opticians.
However, France must go deep in this Euros. Not England.
My two nations entered the European Championships among the bookies' favourites. They are two sides boasting the world’s most sparkling talent, a wealth of tournament nous, managed by pragmatists who, despite relative success, divide opinion. (Admittedly, France sometimes win things, but I won’t let that get in the way of a neat, symmetrical comparison.)
Advert
The countries they represent are also in a historically comparable period. Within days both the UK and France will go to the polls for era-defining elections.
In the former, Labour, who have been out of office since 2010, are on course for a landslide with Sir Keir Starmer’s dull-yet-effective Gareth Southgate-esque ‘ming vase’ approach to campaigning having sparked fear of political extinction among Tories.
France, however, is on course for something far more sinister. French President Emmanuel Macron called a snap parliamentary election earlier this month after Marine le Pen’s far-right National Rally claimed victory in the country’s European elections.
Advert
At the time, Macron’s decision appeared to be at best bold, and at worst f***ing bonkers. (Other opinions are available. I am not a political strategist, nor am I someone who wants to commandeer Rory Stewart’s political views for a SPORTbible opinion piece).
Amid the collapse of support for Macron’s centrists, a consensus of polls has projected that the re-branded National Rally will become the biggest party in the National Assembly, but fall just short of an overall majority. In short, Le Pen’s party, who have a veiled but deep history of racist, Islamophobic and anti-immigrant messaging, are on course to gain real political power.
You may be wondering how all this is relevant to football. It's relevant because France’s players have made it so.
Earlier this week, the world’s best footballer, Kylian Mbappe, made headlines by speaking out about France’s forthcoming elections.
Advert
“Extremes are at the gates of power,” the France skipper warned. “I don’t want to represent a country that doesn’t correspond to my values or our values.”
His team-mate Marcus Thuram also explicitly urged the French public to stop the National Rally from gaining power.
“The situation is very, very serious,” the Inter Milan striker said. “It’s the sad reality of our society today. As a citizen, whether that’s you or me, we all need to fight every day so that this doesn’t happen and National Rally doesn’t succeed.”
Advert
It’s an intervention that is not unprecedented in French politics, with Zidane having urged people not to vote for Jean-Marie le Pen, Marine’s father, in the 2002 presidential election.
However, it could make a genuine difference, with young voters a key demographic for the parties contesting the election. The more buzz the French team generate on and off the pitch, the more likely France can veer its young away from the promises of the far right.
England has been a difficult place to live in over the past decade. Public services don’t work, people feel disenfranchised and merely existing costs a fortune. The country would benefit from a spate of roaring, beer-soaked celebrations.
France, however, needs this more.
It seems unlikely given England’s form, but should the Three Lions come up against France during Euro 2024, I will be praying for a Southgate horror show. Give me Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield. I want Harry Kane so deep he’s suspected of being on hallucinogens. Play Lewis Dunk.
Mbappe, Thuram and co have marked themselves as bastions of progression; as rebels against the far right and their success through the tournament could tangibly change the course of their nation for the better. Someone get the beret. I’m going full ‘Allez Les Bleus’.
SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated transfer news channel to send you the latest deals, rumours and more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.
Topics: Euro 2024, France, England, Kylian Mbappe, Gareth Southgate
Chris Byfield