Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy published a column on July 10, 2026, claiming France’s men’s football team had "no French players," referencing the African and Afro-Caribbean heritage of many players [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The article sparked widespread condemnation in both Spain and France.

Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares apologised to his French counterparts on July 14, calling Rajoy’s comments "intolerable" and "carrying the poison of racism and xenophobia," adding they do not reflect the views of most Spaniards. Albares said, "It’s a very serious matter to go around using skin colour to determine who can be a citizen and who cannot" [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also denounced the remarks as "shamefully xenophobic," stating, "Those who measure nationality by a person’s surname, birthplace or skin colour are shamefully xenophobic" [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 7, 9, 10]. However, Rajoy refused to apologise, responding sarcastically the same day in a follow-up column and dismissing government calls for a retraction as political distractions. He wrote, "They never apologise for anything. Apparently, that is always left to others. You already know what I am like and what I think" [3, 5, 6].

French government officials swiftly condemned Rajoy’s remarks. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the comments "pathetic," saying "France has no skin colour. Any statement to the contrary is a sign of idiocy, racism, or both combined" [1, 4, 11, 8, 9, 10]. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the remarks as "absolutely unacceptable," affirming that France is "a country of diversity." Minister Aurore Berge added, "Racist slips are unacceptable. The French national team reflects the best of us" [10]. The far-right National Rally party also criticised Rajoy’s comments as scandalous and racist [1, 4].

Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation, called Rajoy’s comments an "intolerable racist stench" and defended the team’s legitimacy. "Our players do not need nationality certificates from a former Spanish premier; the French team represents France," Diallo said [12, 9].

The French Embassy in Spain confirmed the French team’s full citizenship status: of the 26 players, 23 were born in France and 3 born abroad but holding French nationality [8, 9, 10]. Earlier in the World Cup, racist remarks against France captain Kylian Mbappe by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla drew international condemnation, tying into ongoing tensions about race and nationality in football [1, 4, 8, 9, 10].

On July 14, Spain defeated France 2-0 in the World Cup semifinal, the same day the Spanish government issued its apology and Spanish PM Sanchez condemned Rajoy’s remarks [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10]. Rajoy’s sarcastic refusal to apologise came later that night [3, 5, 6].