Writing reportedly in a Spanish newspaper El Debate, Rajoy described France as a "very high-level squad. Of course, without Frenchmen." His comment appeared to refer to the African heritage of some players in the French squad and sparked accusations of racism.
Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is facing strong criticism over racist comments about the France football team ahead of their FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final against Spain on Wednesday (July 15).
Writing reportedly in a Spanish newspaper El Debate, Rajoy described France as a "very high-level squad. Of course, without Frenchmen." His comment appeared to refer to the African heritage of some players in the French squad and sparked accusations of racism.
His remarks quickly drew criticism from political leaders in both France and Spain. Fabien Roussel, leader of the French Communist Party, accused Rajoy of showing "blatant racism" against the French national team.
French MP Pierre-Alexandre Anglade also strongly criticised the statement. He described Rajoy's words as "a grave insult against our French team and against our country."
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