Rajoy's 'no Frenchmen' column on France's World Cup team ignites cross-border political storm before Spain-France semifinal

The column that started it all

On 10 July, former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy published a football column in the Spanish newspaper El Debate ahead of the World Cup semifinal between Spain and France. In the piece, titled "Hoy llegó el desquite" (Today the revenge has come), he praised the French team's top FIFA ranking and high-level squad before adding a line that would provoke a diplomatic storm.

It has a top-level squad. That said, it has no French players. And it is playing very well. It will be a formidable opponent.

The remark was immediately interpreted as questioning the Frenchness of players of African descent, including many stars of the French national squad. The column's publication on 10 July set off a chain reaction that, four days later, still dominates political debate on both sides of the Pyrenees.

French backlash

The reaction in France was swift and sharp. French Foreign Minister and government spokesperson Jean-Noël Barrot described Rajoy's words as "pathetic" and a blend of "stupidity, mediocrity and racism". France's far-right Rassemblement National, led by Marine Le Pen, also condemned the remarks, with party spokesperson Julien Odoul calling Rajoy "a racist" and describing the statements as "scandalous, shameful and lamentable".

Mr Rajoy is a racist. His statements are simply scandalous, shameful and lamentable. Everyone should condemn them.

Odoul added that the French project is based on three colours, "whatever one's origin or religion". This condemnation from the far-right was notable given the party's own history: in 1996, Jean-Marie Le Pen made similar comments about the national team, criticising players of foreign origin and accusing some of not singing the national anthem. The Socialist Party and French Communist Party also weighed in. Socialist leader Olivier Faure insisted "the French team has only Frenchmen" and stressed that France is a political nation, not an ethnic one. Communist secretary Fabien Roussel called Rajoy's comment "disgusting racism".

Spanish government demands apology

On Tuesday, Spanish government spokesperson Elma Saiz lamented that Rajoy "still hasn't apologised" and called his words "racist and unbecoming of a former prime minister". She spoke after a cabinet meeting in Madrid. Saiz said Rajoy's remarks do not represent Spanish society, describing the country as "open, diverse and in solidarity". Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, earlier, had tweeted that the best should win and "racism should lose".

May the best win and may racism lose.

The government's tone was echoed by Socialist senator and former Andalusian president Susana Díaz, who called Rajoy's comment "infamous" and "racism at its maximum exponent", citing players like Lamine Yamal, Fabián and Nico Williams as examples of integration. Sumar party's Aina Vidal stressed "there is no friendly racism" and warned that promoting such views creates an atmosphere that can lead to violence and even murder, referencing the recent ICE shooting in the United States. She also criticised PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo for not expressly disavowing Rajoy. Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun called that lack of disauthorisation "absolutely lamentable".

Reactions across the political spectrum and media

Not all parties joined the criticism. Vox spokesperson Pepa Millán dismissed the controversy as a "smokescreen" to distract from other issues, saying the party has "little to say about a former president who is no longer active in politics". Radio journalist Carlos Alsina, in a scathing monologue, said Rajoy "has messed up big time" with a comment reeking of "simple and narrow-minded prejudice", comparing the former PM to someone who clings to a joke long after it stops being funny. Alsina noted that Rajoy's view of what a French person looks like seems stuck on Maurice Chevalier and Inspector Clouseau.

Catalan president Salvador Illa, meanwhile, hastily arranged a meeting with French consul Azar Agah-Ducroc in Barcelona on 14 July, the French national holiday, in what aides described as a gesture of solidarity after Rajoy's words. Illa later tweeted support for Lamine Yamal's statement that both Spain and France are models of integration.

A semifinal overshadowed

Tonight's match at 21:00 becomes the immediate stage for the fallout. Journalist Pepe Luis Vázquez expressed fear that the French players will take the remark personally and enter the pitch with "the spirit of Napoleon, a pacifist by comparison". Spanish government spokeswoman Saiz appealed to let sport take centre stage. The PP, for its part, has sought to minimise the damage, attributing the comment to sarcasm and refusing to formally disavow Rajoy, a decision that continues to draw fire from their opponents.