Spain's ex-PM draws criticism with "xenophobic" remark on French team

MADRID: Spain's conservative former prime minister Mariano Rajoy faced criticism at home and in France on Sunday (Jul 12) after saying the neighbouring country's national football team had "no French players".

The comment, published in an opinion piece on Spanish online news site El Debate, came as Spain prepares to face France on Tuesday (Jul 14) in a blockbuster World Cup semi-final.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the remark as "xenophobic".

"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," the Socialist leader wrote on X.

"Spain belongs to those who love it and work for it. Not to those who shame it with xenophobic statements."

Transport Minister Oscar Puente dismissed Mr Rajoy as a "post-Franco idiot".

French politicians have also lashed out at Mr Rajoy's comment.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told French channel BFMTV that the comment was "absolutely unacceptable".

"RACIST OBSESSIONS"

Communist party leader Fabien Roussel compared the remark to widely criticised comments by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla, who said after Paraguay's elimination by France in the round of 16 that star player Kylian Mbappe was a "colonised Cameroonian who has really pretended to be French".

"They just can't stop themselves from slinging this disgusting racism," said Mr Roussel.

Aurore Berge, minister against discrimination, also denounced the "repeated racist outbursts", adding: "It's time they stopped and that sport becomes sport again: a place where you are judged on your talent and by no other criteria."

Naima Moutchou, France's minister for overseas territories, called the comments evidence of "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 said.

France "has no skin colour or religion", said French Socialist party leader Olivier Faure on X.

France's embassy in Madrid also responded in a social media post: "All the players of the French team are French. Of 26 players, 23 were born in France. The three who were born abroad are also French."

Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation, said Mr Rajoy's comments carried an "intolerable undertone of racism", in a post on social media.