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Spain’s conservative former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy drew intense domestic and international criticism on Sunday after asserting that the French national football team contains “no French players.”
Current Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez swiftly condemned the comment as “xenophobic,” blasting Rajoy for shaming the country with his remarks just days before Spain and France clash in a highly anticipated World Cup semi-final on Tuesday.
Hay quien todavía mide la pertenencia por el apellido, el lugar de nacimiento o el color de piel.
Otros la medimos por el arraigo a un país y la voluntad de contribuir a él. Jugando al fútbol. Cuidando a nuestros mayores. O abriendo negocios.
España es de quien la ama y la…
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) July 12, 2026
Rajoy published the controversial statement in an opinion piece for the Spanish online news site El Debate, sparking immediate outrage across the Pyrenees.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez labelled the comments “absolutely unacceptable”, while French political leaders united to denounce the rhetoric as part of a recurring pattern of racist insults aimed at their national squad.
The backlash intensified as French Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel compared Rajoy’s rhetoric to recent racist slurs from a Paraguayan senator who targeted French star striker Kylian Mbappe.
Naima Moutchou, France’s minister for overseas territories, added that the same racist obsessions re-emerge every time the French team wins.
The sudden political firestorm has drastically heightened tensions between the two neighbouring European nations just hours before their teams meet on the pitch.
