Mariano Rajoy, with a stern expression, speaks in Bilbao on September 14, 2007. This tight portrait highlights the former Spanish head of government’s long public career. Credits: Iker Parriza, via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 (CC BY-SA 3.0).
The 2026 World Cup semifinal between France and Spain is approaching. Two days before the match, former Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy Brey targeted the French national team. In an op-ed published on July 10, he described it as “without Frenchmen.” The remark drew political and sporting condemnation in both countries. It shifted the pre-match rivalry toward a civic debate about belonging, with no clarification from its author having emerged by Monday.
From Sporting Praise To A Challenge To Nationality
In his column Hoy llegó el desquite, Mariano Rajoy celebrates Spain’s qualification at Belgium’s expense. The Spanish daily El Debate posted it online at 11:55 p.m. The former prime minister, in office from 2011 to 2018, then presents France as a formidable opponent. He recalls its two world titles, its runner-up finish in 2022, and the quality of its squad.
It is in the middle of this praise that the column takes a turn. Rajoy writes: “Eso sí, sin franceses,” or “That said, without Frenchmen.” The sentence is not accompanied by any explanation. It is neither aimed at a tactical choice nor at a player’s form. It strips the national team members of the national identity under which they are competing.
The rest of the text mixes soccer and Spanish domestic politics. Rajoy notably celebrates having beaten the “Red Devils.” He plays on his dislike of “the reds,” except when it comes to the Spanish jersey. This jab at the left is separate from the phrase about Les Bleus. Nothing in the column, however, establishes the personal intent its author attached to that phrase.
Pedro Sánchez And The FFF Bring The Debate Back To Civic Ground
On July 12, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the statement “xenophobic.” Against criteria such as surname, place of birth, or skin color, he set a commitment to a country. He also invoked the desire to contribute to it. His message ends with a wish for both teams: may the best team win and racism lose.
The most official French response came from Philippe Diallo. The president of the French Football Federation denounced “intolerable hints of racism.” He reminded everyone that the players had “no nationality certificate” to receive from a former foreign leader. “The France team is France’s team,” he concluded.
These reactions do not require listing the players’ family backgrounds or places of birth. They rest on a simpler fact. The players have the nationality required to represent France and were selected by its federation. Shifting the discussion to their appearance would amount to repeating exactly the framework rejected by French and Spanish officials.
Spanish Players Reject Skin Color As A Criterion
The pushback also reached the Spanish camp. When asked by DAZN, Borja Iglesias said he could imagine that Rajoy had not measured the weight of his words. He nonetheless called for more caution. The striker described the multicultural nature of French society as a strength. He noted that the Spanish team also reflects that diversity.
Defender Pau Cubarsí made a similar argument on Catalan radio station RAC1. If players are with the French national team, then they are French, regardless of skin color. He brought the discussion back to the respect owed to everyone. The two internationals, future opponents of Les Bleus, thus refused to turn the match into an identity clash.
Their stance adds a sporting dimension to the political responses. It shows that the controversy is not limited to a dispute between governments. Players from La Roja themselves rejected the underlying assumption. According to that assumption, appearance or ancestry would determine who belongs on a national team.
French Condemnations, But No Procedure Announced
Several members of the French government reacted separately. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called the phrase “absolutely unacceptable.” Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon described it as “abject” and saw in it a lack of understanding of French history. On Monday morning, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the remarks “pathetic” on BFMTV and RMC.
Naïma Moutchou, Minister for Overseas France, asked the French Football Federation to take all possible legal action. That request does not amount to the opening of a proceeding, however. The FFF had announced none by the time of publication; its public reaction remained Philippe Diallo’s message.
In Spain, Pedro Sánchez’s statement had received no identifiable public response from Mariano Rajoy. That was still the case Monday at midday. The Popular Party, the conservative party he led, had also not issued an official position on the phrase. A later clarification could change the sequence, but none had yet entered the public debate.
A Controversy That Goes Beyond The Semifinal
The significance of the episode lies as much in the status of its author as in the context. Mariano Rajoy is not a member of the current government, but a former head of the executive who still writes columns. His phrase comes after other attacks targeting Les Bleus during the World Cup. There is no need either to repeat the wording or to assign the players supposed origins.
In a few words, a fan’s column has therefore opened a controversy over the definition of nationality. The responses converge on a civic principle. Belonging is not inferred from a surname, a place of birth, or skin color. That convergence does not erase the nuances. Sánchez speaks of xenophobia and Diallo of hints of racism. Borja Iglesias leaves the question of intent open.
France and Spain are set to meet Tuesday, July 14, in Dallas for a spot in the World Cup final. The result will settle the sporting rivalry. The controversy born before kickoff concerns, instead, an already settled matter. The selection rules and the players’ citizenship are unambiguous: the France team represents French people.