‘There are no French players in the France team’: Ex-Spain PM’s remark sparks racist row ahead of World Cup match

France World Cup squad (AP Photo) Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has come under fire after he claimed the France national football team had “no French players” ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final between the two countries.The remark to the Spanish news website El Debate drew widespread criticism from political leaders in both Spain and France, who called it xenophobic and racist. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the statement, writing on X: “There are those who still measure belonging by surname, place of birth or skin color. Others measure it by our roots in the country and our will to contribute to it.” He added: “Spain belongs to those who love him and work for him. Not to those who embarrass him with xenophobic statements.”

French leaders were united in condemning the statements

Criticism quickly spread throughout France. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez called Rajoy’s comments “completely unacceptable”, while Anti-Discrimination Minister Aurore Berge condemned the “repeated racist outbursts”, saying: “It’s time for them to stop and for sport to become sport again: a place where you are judged on your talent and no other criteria.”Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel compared Rajoy’s remarks to the Paraguayan senator’s earlier racist comments about Kylian Mbappe, saying: “They simply cannot stop deploying this disgusting racism.”French leaders emphasized that the national team represents the country’s diversity. Overseas Territories Minister Naima Moutchou said: “Every time Les Bleus win, the same racist obsessions and insults resurface.” Socialist Party chief Olivier Faure added that “France has no color or religion”.The French Embassy in Madrid also responded: “All the players in the French team are French. Out of the 26 players, 23 were born in France. The three who were born abroad are also French.”The president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, also criticized Rajoy’s statement, calling it an “intolerable undertone of racism”.Controversy has overshadowed the run-up to the much-anticipated World Cup semi-finals, with political leaders on both sides insisting players should be judged on their talent rather than their origins.