Mariano Rajoy’s remarks on France football team draw widespread condemnation
Former Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy wrote a column in El Debate before the World Cup semi‑final between Spain and France, praising the French squad’s quality but stating it has “no French players”. The comment triggered an international backlash that officials in France labeled racist. French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo said the remarks “carry intolerable whiffs of racism”, and interior minister Laurent Nunez called them “absolutely unacceptable”. Other French leaders, including foreign minister Jean‑Noël Barrot and ministers Aurore Bergé and Naïma Moutchou, condemned the statements and urged legal action. In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez denounced the remarks on X, saying “racism must lose”, and Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares demanded that the Popular Party’s leader disavow Rajoy’s words. The controversy erupted just days before the semi‑final in Dallas, adding a political dimension to the sporting event and prompting calls for accountability across both governments.