France captain Kylian Mbappé has announced the team will have a message to the nation around their first Euro 2024 match on Monday and ahead of a planned general election in July.
President Emmanuel Macron called the election to take place June 30-July 7 after his party managed only around 15% at last week's European parliament ballot, while the right-wing Rassemblement National party garnered 31%.
The results have led to concerns among national team players, and Mbappe told reporters on Sunday that "there will be something" from the team to the French people around the game against Austria in Düsseldorf.
"You must separate what is important and what not. The match is extremely important. But there are things that are far more important than tomorrow's game," Mbappé said.
"This is an important moment in the history of our country. Maybe it is as important as never before."
Addressing the young generation in France, Mbappé said: "We can change something. We have the future of our country in our own hand.
"I call on all young people to go to the polls. The people must identify with our values."
Mbappe added "I share his position and am fully behind it" after forward Marcus Thuram had named the situation in France "sad" and "serious."
Thuram and other national team players including Ousmane Dembélé and Olivier Giroud have also urged the French people to vote.
The French federation FFF has warned about a politicization of the national team, and coach Didier Deschamps said that Euro 2024 was his priority.
Asked about Mbappé's statements, he said that "we can happily talk about it after the Euros."
France will still be in the tournament by the time of the vote if they get out of the group stage. They are top favourites to win the title on July 14.