Rajoy's column calling France's World Cup side 'without French players' ignites racism row ahead of semifinal

The remark, published on 10 July in a column for El Debate, described the French squad as "an exceptionally strong squad" but added, "That said, one thing they don't have is any French players." Rajoy, who led Spain from 2011 to 2018, has not retracted the statement.

Reactions from Paris

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told BFM TV on 13 July that "France has no skin color. Any contrary claim stems from stupidity, racism or a combination of the two." A day earlier, French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo had written on X that Rajoy's words "carry intolerable whiffs of racism" and that "our players do not need a certificate of nationality from a former Spanish prime minister." France's armed forces minister Sébastien Lecornu also called the remarks "stupid" and "racist," according to El País.

Mariano Rajoy's remarks about the French team carry intolerable whiffs of racism. They also raise questions about the deplorable climate that gives rise to such sentiments.

Madrid responds

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, without naming Rajoy, posted on X that "there are those who still measure belonging by surname, place of birth, or skin color. Others measure it by our roots in a country and our will to contribute to it." Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said racism is "a grave disease" whose symptoms are "stupidity and hatred" and demanded that current Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo disavow Rajoy's column. Albares added that he did not rule out legal action for a hate crime and had spoken with his French counterpart.

Racism and xenophobia are serious diseases, diseases of the soul. And they always have two symptoms: stupidity and hatred.

A team of 99 birthrights

Data from the World Cup show that 99 footballers born in France are playing in the tournament, but only 23 suit up for Les Bleus. The rest represent other nations, including 13 for Algeria, 12 for Haiti, 11 for the DR Congo and 10 for Senegal. France's current World Cup squad contains only three players born outside the country: Michael Olise (England), Brice Samba (Congo) and Marcus Thuram (Italy). Spain itself fields Aymeric Laporte, who was born in France and naturalised in 2021.

Echoes of Le Pen

The row revives a decades-old tradition of questioning French players' nationality. In the 1990s, Jean-Marie Le Pen had demanded "good players who were French," often targeting those with non-white backgrounds. Former Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls, born in Barcelona, said on Monday that what Rajoy "thinks he doesn't see in that team aren't nationalities, but skin colours." The controversy also recalls a separate incident this month when Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla mocked Kylian Mbappé's origins after France's round-of-16 victory.

Semifinal on Bastille Day

France and Spain meet in Arlington, Texas, at 14:00 local time with temperatures above 30°C. The match falls on the French national holiday commemorating the storming of the Bastille, and Sánchez is expected to attend. Rajoy has said he will continue his tournament columns for El Debate.