Former Spanish PM Rajoy Criticized for 'Racist' Remarks About France's World Cup Team

Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has ignited a firestorm of criticism for his assertion that France's World Cup squad "does not have any French players." The comment, made in a column for Spanish outlet El Debate ahead of the semifinal match between France and Spain, has been decried as racist by prominent figures in both nations.

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They've won every match they've played at this World Cup and are currently top of the FIFA rankings. They also have an exceptionally strong squad. That said, one thing they don't have is any French players.

Rajoy, a member of the conservative Popular Party, wrote on July 10 that while France possesses a strong squad and leads the FIFA rankings, "one thing they don't have is any French players." This statement has drawn sharp rebukes. French midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery, who has Martiniquais heritage, responded by emphasizing the team's diverse backgrounds and unity. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot declared that "France has no skin colour. Any contrary claim stems from stupidity, racism or a combination of the two."

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This French team has players from different backgrounds and origins, so does the country, we are a united group, a united team, and that's all that matters.

Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation, stated on X that Rajoy's remarks "carry intolerable whiffs of racism" and questioned the "deplorable climate that gives rise to such sentiments." He added that French players "do not need a certificate of nationality from a former Spanish prime minister." Spain's own football sensation, Lamine Yamal, whose parents are of Moroccan and Equatorial Guinean descent, also condemned the comments, asserting that football's purpose is integration and that both the Spanish and French teams exemplify this.

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France has no skin colour. Any contrary claim stems from stupidity, racism or a combination of the two.

Despite the backlash, a spokesperson for Rajoy's Popular Party claimed the remarks were "sarcastic" and made "without ill intent." However, Spain's ruling Socialist government swiftly condemned the comments. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez alluded to the remarks on X, contrasting those who "measure belonging by surname, place of birth, or skin colour" with those who value "roots in a country and our will to contribute to it."

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Mariano Rajoy's remarks about the French team carry intolerable whiffs of racism.