Spain's Ex-PM Draws Criticism with 'Xenophobic' Remark on French Team
Pedro Sanchez called the remark xenophobic as French officials said 23 of the squad’s 26 players were born in France.
- On Sunday, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy faced backlash after writing in Debate that the French national football team had "no French players" ahead of the World Cup semi-final. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the remark as "xenophobic."
- French and Spanish officials condemned the comments, with Interior Minister Laurent Nunez calling them "absolutely unacceptable." Transport Minister Oscar Puente dismissed Rajoy as a "post-Franco idiot" for the inflammatory rhetoric.
- Official squad statistics refute the claim: 23 of 26 players were born in France. French Socialist party leader Olivier Faure responded that France "has no skin colour or religion."
- Anti-Discrimination minister Aurore Berge denounced the "repeated racist outbursts," calling for sport to judge talent alone. Communist leader Fabien Roussel linked the comments to xenophobic attacks on star player Kylian Mbappe.
- Naima Moutchou, France's minister for overseas territories, described the rhetoric as evidence of "systematic and widespread hatred of France and what the nation is." French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo noted an "intolerable undertone of racism.
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He claims that it was Spain's initiative to call the French Government to deny that this is Spain's position.
Madrid, 13 Jul (EFE).- The Minister of Territorial Policy, Angel Victor Torres, reminded Mariano Rajoy that in the World Cup he must “win the best and lose racism”, referring to the article by the former president in which he stated that in the French football team, with which Spain will be measured in semifinals, “there are no French”. https://holanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/rss-ef37889356-f9b1-42c1-9d1d-851b7560d6a6-hd-web.mp4 Rajoy pu…
The PP spokesman has assured that the column of the former president is "sarcastical" and "without bad intention" being "comments in favor of Spain".
Before the World Cup semi-finals, a former Spanish Prime Minister shocked with a racist statement. Not only politicians and officials in France are appalled about this.
Mariano Rajoy has caused another racist scandal after a scandalous statement by a Paraguayan senator.
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