'No French players in France ': Ex-Spain PM's remark sparks racism row
Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy faced backlash after claiming the French national football team has 'no French players.' The comments were widely condemned by French and Spanish officials as racist and xenophobic.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing tensions regarding national identity, immigration, and racism in European sports and politics.
Spain's former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has come under fire after claiming that France's national football team has "no French players" ahead of Tuesday's World Cup semi-final between the two countries.The remark, made in an opinion piece for Spanish news website El Debate, sparked widespread criticism from political leaders in both Spain and France, who described it as xenophobic and racist. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the statement, writing on X: "There are those who still measure belonging by surname, place of birth, or skin colour. Others measure it by our roots in a country and our will to contribute to it." He added, "Spain belongs to those who love it and work for it. Not to those who shame it with xenophobic statements."French leaders unite in condemning remarksThe criticism quickly spread across France.
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