Rajoy remark on French team triggers backlash ahead of Sánchez Paris visit
Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has sparked a political row by claiming France's World Cup team plays "without Frenchmen," creating an awkward backdrop for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Bastille Day visit to Paris.
Mariano Rajoy, who led Spain's government between 2011 and 2018, wrote in his World Cup column for El Debate that the French squad is "top-tier" but plays "without Frenchmen." The remark followed Spain's 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Belgium and preceded Tuesday's semifinal between Spain and France in Dallas.
Rajoy's comment appeared to target the immigrant backgrounds of French players. However, of the 26 players called up by coach Didier Deschamps, only three were born outside of France: Michael Olise in London, Marcus Thuram in Parma, and Brice Samba in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The comments drew immediate political fire. José Cepeda, a MEP for Spain's ruling PSOE party, called the remarks "racist and xenophobic" on Spanish television, adding it was "shameful." In France, Aurore Bergé, the Minister Delegate for Equality and the Fight against Discriminations, wrote on social media site X that "the repeated racist outbursts are intolerable. It’s time they stop and that sports return to being sports: a space where we are judged on our talent and no other criterion."
Fabien Roussel, national secretary of the French Communist Party, called for Rajoy to be "condemned." He compared the former prime minister's words to recent comments by a Paraguayan politician about striker Kylian Mbappé, which prompted the Paris prosecutor’s office to open an investigation for "aggravated public insult."
The controversy taps into a deeply rooted debate in French public life over national identity and immigration. It echoes arguments made by Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front during France's 1998 World Cup triumph, when players like Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram, Marcel Desailly, and Patrick Vieira led the team. At the time, the far-right party argued the diverse squad was an "artificial" representation of the country.
For European public life, the timing is particularly sensitive. Pedro Sánchez, Spain's current prime minister, is scheduled to travel to Paris on Tuesday for the annual 14 July Bastille Day holiday. His visit now coincides not only with the highly anticipated match between the two nations, but also with a simmering diplomatic irritation over his predecessor's remarks. The Élysée has not yet responded to the controversy.
