Mariano Rajoy, who served as Spain’s conservative prime minister until 2018, has drawn widespread criticism for comments made in a World Cup newspaper column. Writing in an article for El Debate ahead of Spain’s upcoming semi-final match against France, Rajoy acknowledged France’s strong credentials, including their status as two-time world champions and current top-ranked team. However, he concluded his remarks by stating that the French squad “don’t have any French players” despite their strong performance in the tournament.
The statement has been interpreted by critics as invoking concerns about the ethnic or ancestral composition of the French team, particularly given recent similar comments from a Paraguayan senator targeting player Kylian Mbappé. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez responded sharply, arguing that belonging to a nation should be measured by commitment and contribution rather than surname, birthplace, or skin color. Sánchez characterized the remarks as xenophobic and noted that Spain’s identity should be shaped by those who love and work for the country.
French officials expressed strong disapproval of Rajoy’s comments. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called the remarks unacceptable and emphasized France’s character as a nation of diversity. Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure stressed that all members of the French national team are French citizens and articulated France’s identity as a political rather than ethnic nation. Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel drew parallels between Rajoy’s statement and the Paraguayan senator’s earlier racist attack on Mbappé.
Minister for Overseas Territories Naïma Moutchou characterized the incident as part of a broader pattern of racist rhetoric targeting France and called on the French football federation to pursue all available legal remedies. She described such attacks as systematic rather than isolated incidents. Sánchez concluded his response by wishing France well in the upcoming semi-final while expressing hope that racism would ultimately be defeated.