12 July 2026 21:38

Getty Images Several senior French politicians have accused former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of racism, after he said the French national team 'does not include any French players'.

Rajoy, who served as head of the Spanish government between 2011 and 2018, made this statement in an article published by the Spanish website El Debate, in which he previewed the World Cup semi-final between Spain and France, scheduled for Tuesday.

He wrote in his article dated July 10: 'They currently top the FIFA rankings, and they have a top-level squad. Yet, they do not have any French players, and still they play great football.'

The Athletic newspaper, in a report, reviewed the French reactions, which expressed strong anger at Mariano Rajoy.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said Rajoy's remarks are 'completely unacceptable'.

During his appearance on French channel BFM TV, he was informed of Rajoy's comments and condemned them, saying: 'This is not what France stands for at all. France is a country based on diversity, where everyone can thrive and find their place.'

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French Socialist Party responds: Olivier Faure, leader of the French Socialist Party, responded to Rajoy's article on social media, saying: 'The French national team consists only of French people. France is not an ethnic nation, it has no skin color or religion. It is a political nation united by the principles of the Republic. And that is what bothers the racist right.'

Naïma Moutchou, French minister in charge of overseas territories, also criticized Rajoy's remarks, writing: 'After every victory for France, the same obsessions and the same racist insults resurface. These are not slips of the tongue, but systematic and normalized hatred towards France and what it represents.'

Moutchou also called on the French Football Federation to take legal action against Rajoy over these remarks.

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Criticism inside Spain: Spain's Transport Minister Oscar Puente attacked Rajoy, calling him a 'post-Franco moron'.

He also questioned the image of Rajoy as a 'moderate' politician.

For its part, the French embassy in Madrid wrote: 'Without wishing to enter into a debate, it is worth recalling the facts: all players of the French national team hold French nationality. Of the 26 players, 23 were born in France, and the three who were born abroad are also French.'

French newspaper Le Monde, in an editorial, described Rajoy's remarks as 'racist'.

The newspaper added: 'Since the beginning of the tournament, the French national team has been subjected to several racist attacks.'

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Racist remarks from Paraguay: Earlier this week, the Senate of Paraguay issued a resolution condemning the 'discriminatory and racist remarks' made by Senator Celeste Amarilla against French captain Kylian Mbappé.

The 61-year-old lawyer had described the France forward as a 'colonized Cameroonian'.

This came after the match between France and Paraguay in the round of 16 of the World Cup on July 4.

Amarilla had previously attacked Mbappé on social media after she reposted a photo of his celebration in front of Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill, writing: 'That savage hasn't even learned to write. Instead of drinking milk, he sucked coconuts, and the most cultured creatures he listened to in his life were chimpanzees.'

Mbappé described her remarks as 'vile and racist'.

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French Communist Party denounces... and racism from Argentina: In turn, Fabien Roussel, leader of the French Communist Party, criticized what he called the 'blatant racism' directed at the French national team, affirming that the remarks of both Amarilla and Rajoy fall under this framework.

He said: 'Yesterday it was a senator from Paraguay, today the former Spanish prime minister. They cannot refrain from expressing blatant racism in an attempt to provoke our wonderful French team. Mariano Rajoy must be condemned! Full solidarity with the blue roosters.'

Rajoy and Amarilla were not the only politicians to question the identity of the French players. Ibi Casado, deputy governor of the Argentine province of Mendoza, posted on her social media accounts: 'Well done, Paraguay. The African team lacks ethics. I can't stand Mbappé.'

She also reposted a message from Argentine journalist Damián De Pace saying: 'If France wins the World Cup, we should be honest and hand the cup to the African Football Confederation.'

Following these remarks, the French ambassador to Argentina, Romain Nadal, considered Casado's words 'undeniably racist in nature' and declared her 'persona non grata'.