Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has condemned remarks by former right-wing prime minister Mariano Rajoy, who claimed that France’s national football team had ‘no French players’, describing the comments as ‘xenophobic’ as criticism mounted in both Spain and France ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final between the two countries. ALSO READ: Spain to play France in World Cup semi-finals after 2-1 victory over Belgium.
Rajoy, who served as Spain’s prime minister from 2011 to 2018 and formerly led the People’s Party (PP), made the remarks in an opinion article published by Spanish news website El Debate. ‘France also boasts a top-tier squad,’ he wrote. ‘Mind you, there are no French players.’ His comments quickly provoked a political and diplomatic backlash.
The French Embassy in Spain rejected Rajoy’s claim outright, stating on Sunday that ‘all the players in the French national team are French’, adding that this also applies to the three members of the 26-man squad who were born outside mainland France.
‘Without wanting to get into a controversy, it is worth recalling the facts,’ the Embassy wrote on X (see below). ‘All the players on the French national team are French. Of the 26 players, 23 were born in France. The 3 who were born abroad are French as well.’
Sánchez responded forcefully on social media, accusing the former prime minister of promoting a narrow and exclusionary definition of national identity.
‘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. Playing football. Caring for our elders. Or opening businesses,’ the socialist (PSOE) leader wrote on X (see below). ‘Spain belongs to those who love it and work for it. Not to those who shame it with xenophobic statements. France, we’ll see you in the semi-finals. May the best one win and may racism lose.’
French politicians from across the political spectrum also condemned Rajoy’s remarks.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the comments as ‘absolutely unacceptable’ during an interview with French broadcaster BFMTV.
French Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure rejected the suggestion that nationality could be defined by ethnicity or religion, writing on X that France ‘has no skin colour or religion’.
Valérie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France region and a fellow right-wing politician from the same European political family as Rajoy, also criticised the former Spanish leader, calling his remarks ‘despicable racism’.
‘Mariano Rajoy demonstrates his complete misunderstanding of what constitutes the soul of the French people,’ she said.
Naima Moutchou, France’s minister for overseas territories, said the controversy reflected ‘systematic and widespread hatred of France and what the nation is’.
‘Every time Les Bleus win, the same racist obsessions and insults re-emerge,’ she added.
French Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel also denounced Rajoy’s comments, comparing them to remarks made by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla after Paraguay’s elimination by France in the World Cup round of 16.
Amarilla described French captain Kylian Mbappé as ‘a colonised Cameroonian who has really pretended to be French’, comments that triggered widespread condemnation.
‘They just can’t stop themselves from slinging this disgusting racism,’ Roussel said.
The row has erupted just days before Spain and France meet in what is expected to be one of the standout matches of the tournament, with the two sides facing off on Tuesday in a blockbuster World Cup semi-final.
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🧐 La columna de @marianorajoy | ‘Hoy llegó el desquite’
— El Debate (@eldebate_com) July 10, 2026
«A los belgas se les conoce como los Diablos Rojos y a mí no me gustan ni los diablos, ni los rojos. Así que esta victoria me sabe mejor»
«Francia tiene, además, una plantilla de altísimo nivel. Eso sí, sin franceses» pic.twitter.com/uAkBj8cJMO
Sin querer entrar en una polémica, conviene recordar los hechos:
— La France en Espagne 🇫🇷🇪🇸 (@france_espagne) July 12, 2026
Todos los jugadores de la selección francesa son franceses. De los 26 jugadores, 23 nacieron en Francia. Los 3 que nacieron en el exterior son franceses también. @francediplo @equipedefrance @kareen_rispal
Hay quien todavía mide la pertenencia por el apellido, el lugar de nacimiento o el color de piel.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) July 12, 2026
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…
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