Spanish ex-PM draws fire for 'no French players' remark

Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is facing strong criticism after stating that France's national football team "has no French players." The remark, made in an opinion piece for the Spanish media outlet El Debate ahead of a World Cup semi-final match between Spain and France, has drawn condemnation from both Spanish and French politicians.

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There are still some who measure belonging based on surname, birthplace, or skin color. Others measure it by our roots in the country and our will to contribute to it. Spain belongs to those who love the country and work for it. Not those who disgrace it with xenophobic statements.

Spain's current Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, called Rajoy's statement "xenophobic." He posted on social media that some people still judge belonging based on surnames, birthplace, or skin color, while others measure it by roots in the country and the will to contribute. Sánchez emphasized that Spain belongs to those who love and work for it, not those who disgrace it with xenophobic remarks, concluding with "France, see you in the semi-final. May the best team win and racism lose."

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France, see you in the semi-final. May the best team win and racism lose.

In France, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described Rajoy's comment as "completely unacceptable" in a television interview. The leader of the French Communist Party, Fabien Roussel, compared Rajoy's statement to controversial remarks made by Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla, who had written that French star Kylian Mbappé is "a colonized Cameroonian who desperately pretends to be French." Roussel stated that "they simply cannot help but spew out this kind of disgusting racism."

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completely unacceptable

The semi-final match between France and Spain is scheduled for Tuesday evening.

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They simply cannot help but spew out this kind of disgusting racism.