On the eve of the World Cup semi-final, former Spanish conservative Prime Minister Rajoy wrote an article claiming that the French national football team “has no French players,” sparking strong backlash in both French and Spanish political circles and criticism for being xenophobic and racist. Spain will meet France in the World Cup semi-final at 3 a.m. Malaysia time on the 15th.
In response, the French embassy in Madrid posted on social media: “All players in the French national team are French. Of the 26 players, 23 were born in France; the other three, though born abroad, also hold French nationality.”
Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez condemned Rajoy’s comments on social media as full of xenophobic ideas: “Some people still judge a person’s national identity by their surname, place of birth, or skin color; but there are also those who believe that true belonging comes from identification with one’s country and the willingness to contribute to it.”
“Spain belongs to all who love this land and work for it, not to those who shame the country with xenophobic remarks.”
French Communist Party leader Roussel compared Rajoy’s remarks to those of Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla, who previously made controversial comments about French star Mbappé.
Amarilla once said after Paraguay was knocked out by France in the Round of 16 at the World Cup that Mbappé is “a colonized Cameroonian who keeps pretending to be French.”
Roussel stated: “They just can’t stop spreading this disgusting racist rhetoric.”
French Football Federation President Diallo posted on social media, saying Rajoy’s comments carried “intolerable racist connotations.”