Former Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has sparked a diplomatic and sporting controversy after claiming the France national team “does not have any French players” in a column written ahead of the World Cup semi-final against Spain.
Rajoy, who served as conservative prime minister from 2011 to 2018, made the remarks in an article for the online newspaper El Debate on Friday, previewing the last-four showdown. While acknowledging France’s status as two-time world champions and current FIFA rankings leaders, he wrote: “They’ve won every match they’ve played in this World Cup… That said, they don’t have any French players. And they’re playing very well.”
Political condemnation
The comments drew immediate accusations of racism on both sides of the border. Spain’s current prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, issued a sharp rebuke on social media. “There are those who still measure belonging by surname, place of birth, or skin colour,” he posted on X. “Others measure it by our roots in a country and our will to contribute to it. Spain belongs to those who love it and work for it. Not to those who shame it with xenophobic statements.”
In France, interior minister Laurent Nuñez told BFMTV the remarks were “completely unacceptable”. He added: “That’s completely not what France is about. France is a country of diversity where everyone can thrive and find their place.”
Pattern of abuse
Political leaders linked Rajoy’s words to recent racist attacks targeting French players. The controversy has drawn comparisons to comments from Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla, who recently called Kylian Mbappé a “colonised Cameroonian” in a social media post. The French Football Federation has already filed a complaint with Paris prosecutors over Amarilla’s remarks.
French Socialist party leader Olivier Faure stressed that “France is not an ethnic nation; it has no skin colour or religion”. Communist party leader Fabien Roussel accused Rajoy of spewing “filthy racism”, while overseas territories minister Naïma Moutchou described the comments as “methodical and normalised hatred” and urged the federation to “pursue all legal avenues” against such statements.
Sánchez concluded his response with a message that sought to separate the political row from the sporting contest: “France, we’ll see you in the semi-finals. May the best team win and may racism lose.”
The incident adds a toxic political dimension to the on-field rivalry as Spain prepare to face France for a place in the World Cup final.