"French Team Without Any French Players"... Former Spanish Prime Minister Slammed for Racist Remarks

Controversy Over Remarks Targeting Players of Immigrant Backgrounds

As France and Spain prepare to face each other in the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, controversy has erupted after a former Spanish prime minister made racist remarks about the French team.

In the quarterfinals of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, France and Morocco faced off, with Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi (number 2, PSG) and French forward Kylian Mbappe (number 10) competing for the ball. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On July 12, international media outlets such as France's RMC Sport reported that former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy made disparaging comments about the French national team in a recent column contributed to the local media outlet El Debate. Rajoy served as Spain’s prime minister from December 2011 to May 2018.

In his column, Rajoy congratulated Spain for reaching the semifinals but also commented on the French national team. He stated, “We must remember that France has won the World Cup twice and were runners-up in the previous tournament. They have won every match in this World Cup and are currently ranked number one by FIFA.” However, Rajoy went on to say, “The squad’s quality is also very high,” adding, “They have achieved all this without any French players.”

His remarks have been interpreted as a reference to the fact that the French squad consists of many players from diverse racial backgrounds and immigrant families. As a result, his comments have been widely criticized as racist. The controversy intensified because Rajoy’s remarks came just a week after racist comments were directed at French team captain Kylian Mbappe.

Previously, during the round of 16 match between France and Paraguay, Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla drew strong protests from France after making a racist statement about Mbappe, describing him as “a descendant of Cameroonians from the colonial era desperately pretending to be French.” Mbappe is the son of a Cameroonian father and an Algerian mother, making him a descendant of immigrants.

Despite the fierce backlash and criticism, Amarilla and her camp insisted their comments fell under “freedom of expression” and declined to apologize. However, the Paraguayan Senate passed a resolution opposing her remarks.

Additionally, José Luis Chilavert, a former Paraguayan football star and goalkeeper, also sparked controversy with allegedly racist comments, saying, “In 1998 we played against France, but today’s Paraguay faces an African team.”

Meanwhile, the highly anticipated semifinal clash between European football powerhouse France and Spain is scheduled to take place at 4 a.m. on July 15, Korea Standard Time, at Dallas Stadium in the United States.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.