France national team at the FIFA World Cup (AP Photo)
Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has come under fire after claiming that the French national football team “does not include any French players” ahead of the FIFA World Cup semi-final between the two countries on Tuesday.The remark, which appeared in an opinion article on the Spanish news site El Debate, sparked widespread criticism from political leaders in both Spain and France, who described it as xenophobic and racist.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the statement, writing on He added: “Spain belongs to those who love it and work for it, not to those who expose it with xenophobic statements.”
French leaders We unite in condemning the statements
Criticism quickly spread throughout France. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez called Rajoy’s comments “completely unacceptable”, while Anti-Discrimination Minister Aurore Berg condemned the “repeated racist statements” and said: “It is time to stop and for this sport to become a sport again: a place where your talent is judged and not by other criteria.”
Communist Party leader Fabian Rosell compared Rajoy’s comments to previous racist comments made by a Paraguayan senator about Kylian Mbappe, saying: “They cannot stop themselves from defaming this disgusting racism.”French leaders stressed that the national team represents the diversity that characterizes the country. “Every time the French team wins, the same racist concerns and insults resurface,” said Overseas Territories Minister Naima Muchu.
Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure added, “France has no skin color or religion.”The French embassy in Madrid also responded, saying: “All players on the French national team are French. Of the 26 players, 23 were born in France. The three who were born abroad are also French.”The president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, also criticized Rajoy’s statement, describing it as having an “unbearable racist tinge.”The controversy has cast a pall over the run-up to the highly anticipated World Cup semi-final, with political leaders on both sides insisting that players should be judged by their talent rather than their background.