Politics
Former Spanish PM Rajoy accused of racism over World Cup column on French team
July 13, 2026 at 06:15 PM · Updated 96d ago
Coverage
3 reports · 2 in Arabic, 1 in English · over 31 hours
AJAl Jazeera Arabic
أزمة "عنصرية" قبل كلاسيكو المونديال.. نجم فرنسا يرد على رئيس وزراء إسبانيا السابق
(opens the publisher’s site)
AJAl Jazeera Arabic
"لون البشرة لا يحدد هوية الفرنسيين".. لاعب إسباني يرد على تصريحات راخوي
(opens the publisher’s site)
TGThe Guardian
Former Spanish PM accused of racism in remarks about French football team
(opens the publisher’s site)Mariano Rajoy wrote that the French national team "does not have any French players," prompting condemnation from Spanish and French officials.
- Rajoy published a column on Friday in El Debate questioning the French team's composition ahead of the World Cup semi-final.
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez responded on X, stating that Spain belongs to those who love it, not to those who shame it with xenophobic statements.
- French Socialist leader Olivier Faure stated that the French national team is composed only of French citizens, rejecting ethnic definitions of nationality.
- France's overseas territories minister Naïma Moutchou called on the French football federation to pursue all legal avenues over the remarks.
Latest developments
- French midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery responded that the mixture of ethnicities defines France, dismissing Rajoy's remarks and emphasizing team unity.