Spanish former prime minister sparks outrage with claim that France team has no French people

With only two days remaining before France's World Cup semi-final clash against Spain, a comment by Spain's former conservative prime minister Rajoy — claiming the French team "has no French people" — has provoked widespread backlash in France and drawn sharp condemnation from his Socialist successor, Prime Minister Sanchez.

Rajoy, a right-wing People's Party veteran, wrote in the newspaper *Debate* that the French team is a "top-tier side," but "has no French people."

Spain’s current prime minister, Sanchez, condemned the remarks on the X platform as "xenophobic rhetoric," criticizing those who "still judge belonging by surname, place of birth, or skin color," adding: "France, we’ll see you in the semi-finals. May the strong prevail, may racism lose."

French political reactions were intense. Social Democrat and European Parliament member Grusman stated: "Being French is not determined by skin color, origin, or religion, but by something far deeper. We are deeply proud that France is a republic, a civic society."

First Secretary of the Socialist Party, Foll, said: "The French national team is made up entirely of French people, because France is not a nation-state based on ethnicity, but a political nation united around republican ideals." First Secretary of the French Communist Party, Russel, denounced Rajoy’s comments as "vile racism."

France’s Minister for Overseas Affairs, Moutchou, said: "Every time the 'Gallic rooster' wins, these racist obsessions resurface. This is not an offhand remark — it's a calculated, normalized hatred aimed at undermining France’s national image." She called on the French Football Federation to take legal action. Interior Minister Nunez stated: "This kind of statement is absolutely unacceptable."

Diarral, president of the French Football Federation, who was traveling with the French national team to the U.S., wrote on X: "Rajoy’s remarks about the French team carry an intolerable racist tone. We must ask ourselves what kind of toxic atmosphere allows such statements to emerge." He added: "Our players don’t need nationality certificates from a former Spanish prime minister. The French team is the French team."

Rajoy’s right-wing government fell in 2018 amid allegations of illegal party financing. His recent comments triggered not only strong reactions from Sanchez but also domestic backlash in Spain. Spain’s Minister of Transport, Puente, described Rajoy as a "fool of the post-Franco era."

The French embassy in Madrid also responded on social media: "All players on the French team are French. Of the 26 players, 23 were born in France. The other three, born abroad, are also French."

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1870550988696576/

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