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Spain’s former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has come under fire after claiming that France’s national football team has “no French players” ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final between the two countries.The remark, made in an opinion piece for Spanish news website El Debate, sparked widespread criticism from political leaders in both Spain and France, who described it as xenophobic and racist. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the statement, writing on X: “There are those who still measure belonging by surname, place of birth, or skin colour. Others measure it by our roots in a country and our will to contribute to it.” He added, “Spain belongs to those who love it and work for it. Not to those who shame it with xenophobic statements.”
French leaders unite in condemning remarks
The criticism quickly spread across France. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez called Rajoy’s comments “absolutely unacceptable”, while Minister against Discrimination Aurore Berge denounced the “repeated racist outbursts” and said, “It’s time they stopped and that sport becomes sport again: a place where you are judged on your talent and by no other criteria.”Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel compared Rajoy’s remarks to earlier racist comments made by a Paraguayan senator about Kylian Mbappe, saying, “They just can’t stop themselves from slinging this disgusting racism.”French leaders stressed 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 re-emerge.” Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure added that “France has no skin colour or religion.”France’s embassy in Madrid also responded, saying, “All the players of the French team are French. Of 26 players, 23 were born in France. The three who were born abroad are also French.”French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo also criticised Rajoy’s statement, describing it as carrying an “intolerable undertone of racism.”The controversy has overshadowed the build-up to the highly anticipated World Cup semi-final, with political leaders on both sides insisting that players should be judged by their talent rather than their background.
