Rajoy criticized over French team remark before World Cup semifinal
Spanish and French officials condemned Mariano Rajoy after he said France’s national football team had “no French players.”
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has drawn criticism in Spain and France after saying the French national football team had “no French players,” AFP reported. The dispute comes two days before Spain are due to play France in a World Cup semifinal on Tuesday.
Rajoy, a conservative who left office after a no-confidence vote in 2018, made the comment in an opinion piece published Sunday by the Spanish online outlet El Debate, according to AFP. The remark prompted rebukes from Spain’s current Socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, as well as several French officials.
Sanchez called the comment “xenophobic” in a post on X. He wrote that some people judge belonging by a person’s surname, birthplace or skin colour, while others judge it by roots in a country and a willingness to contribute to it.
“Spain belongs to those who love it and work for it. Not to those who shame it with xenophobic statements,” Sanchez said.
Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente also criticized Rajoy, describing him as a “post-Franco idiot,” AFP reported.
French officials reject the remark
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told BFMTV that Rajoy’s comment was “absolutely unacceptable.” Other French politicians linked the remark to a broader pattern of attacks on the French team’s identity.
Fabien Roussel, leader of France’s Communist Party, compared Rajoy’s comment with remarks made by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla after France knocked Paraguay out in the Round of 16. Amarilla had described France star Kylian Mbappe as a “colonised Cameroonian who has really pretended to be French,” according to AFP.
Roussel said critics “just can’t stop themselves from slinging this disgusting racism.”
Aurore Berge, France’s anti-discrimination minister, denounced what she called “repeated racist outbursts.” She said sport should be a place where people are judged on talent rather than any other criteria.
Naima Moutchou, France’s minister for overseas territories, said the comments showed “systematic and widespread hatred of France and what the nation is.” She added that “every time Les Bleus win, the same racist obsessions and insults re-emerge,” AFP reported.
Olivier Faure, leader of France’s Socialist Party, wrote on X that France “has no skin colour or religion.”
Embassy and football federation respond
France’s embassy in Madrid also answered Rajoy’s claim in a social media post. The embassy said every player in the French squad is French, adding that 23 of the 26 players were born in France and the three born elsewhere are French as well.
Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation, said Rajoy’s comments carried an “intolerable undertone of racism,” according to AFP.
The row has added a political edge to the buildup for Spain’s semifinal against France, one of the marquee fixtures of the World Cup’s final week.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.