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A number of high-ranking French politicians have accused former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of racism after he said there were “not a single French player” in the French national team.
Rajoy, who served as the head of the Spanish government from 2011 to 2018, made the announcement in an article published by the Spanish website El Debate, where he referred to the World Cup semi-final between Spain and France, scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday.
“They currently top the FIFA rankings and have a top-quality squad,” he wrote in his July 10 article. “But they don’t have French players and yet they play fantastic football.”
The paper reviewed “The AthleticIn its report, French reactions expressed their extreme anger towards Mariano Rajo.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said Rajoy’s comments were “totally unacceptable”.
Rajoy was briefed on Rajoy’s statements while appearing on French channel BFM TV, and he condemned them, saying:
The Socialist Party of France reacts
French Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure responded to Rajoy’s article on social media, saying: “The French national team consists only of Frenchmen. France is not an ethnic nation, it has no skin color and no religion. It is a political nation united by republican principles. This is what prevents the racist right.”
French Overseas Territories Minister Naima Mouchaux also criticized Rajoy’s statements, writing: “After each French victory, the same concerns and racist insults resurface.
Mucho also called on the French Football Federation to take legal action against Rajoy for these statements.
Criticism within Spain
Criticism was not limited to France, as Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente attacked Rajoy, describing him as a “post-Francoist idiot”.
He also questioned Rajoy’s image as a “moderate” politician.
In turn, the French Embassy in Madrid wrote: “Not wanting to get into an argument, it’s worth recalling the facts. All the players of the French national team are French. Of the 26 players, 23 were born in France and three who were born outside of it are also French.”
The French newspaper Le Monde described Rajoy’s statements as “racist” in their editorial.
The newspaper added: “Since the beginning of the tournament, the French team has been subjected to several racist attacks.”
Racist statements from Paraguay
Earlier this week, Paraguay’s Senate passed a resolution condemning the “discriminatory and racist statements” made by Senator Celeste Amaria against France captain Kylian Mbappe.
The 61-year-old lawyer described the French attacker as a “colonized Cameroonian”.
This happened after the match between France and Paraguay in the 1/8 finals of the World Cup on July 4.
Amaria had earlier attacked Mbappé on social media after he reposted a photo of himself celebrating in front of Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gil and wrote:
Mbappe described his statements as “despicable and racist”.
The French Communist Party condemns Argentina’s racism
For his part, the leader of the Communist Party of France, Fabien Rosell, criticized what he defined as “raw racism” directed against the French national team, stressing that Amaria’s and Rajoy’s statements are within this framework.
He said: “Yesterday it was a Paraguayan senator, and today it was the former prime minister of Spain. They can’t stop themselves from expressing blatant racism in an attempt to provoke our wonderful French team. Mariano Rajoy must be convicted. All the best to the Blue Roosters.”
Rajoy and Amaria were not the only politicians who questioned the identity of the players of the French national team. Ibi Casado, the vice-governor of the Mendoza province of Argentina, posted on his social networks.
It also republished a message from Argentinian journalist Damian de Pati, in which he said: “If France wins the World Cup, we have to be honest and give the trophy to the Confederation of African Football.”
After these statements, the French ambassador to Argentina, Romain Nadal, considered Casado’s words “undoubtedly racist” and declared “persona non grata”.
