Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rejected what his predecessor Mariano Rajoy said about the French national team being "without Frenchmen," considering it xenophobic remarks.

Rajoy, who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 2011 to 2018, wrote an article in the newspaper "El Debate" in which he spoke about the French national team and described it as "without Frenchmen," a description that caused a stir in Spain and France.

Pedro Sánchez said in remarks on Sunday: What Rajoy said are xenophobic remarks. There are those who still measure belonging by family name, place of birth, and skin color, but there are others who measure it by attachment to the country and the desire to contribute to it.

He added: Spain is for those who love it and make it live, not for those who make xenophobic remarks that do not honor it.

He concluded his remarks by saying: France, we will face each other in the semifinal of the 2026 World Cup, and may the best win and may racism lose.

Spain will meet France in the semifinal of the 2026 World Cup, with the winner facing the qualifier from the match between England and Argentina in the final on the 19th of this month.

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