The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, responded this Sunday to the words of former president Mariano Rajoy, who in an opinion column maintained that the French national football team has "a very high level, yes, without French people," alluding to the origin of its players. Sánchez responded with a resounding message: "May the best win and racism lose."
In a text shared on the social network X, the head of the Executive stressed that "There are those who still measure belonging by surname, place of birth, or skin color. Others measure it by attachment to a country and the will to contribute to it. By playing football. By caring for our elders. Or by opening businesses."
Sánchez insisted that "Spain belongs to those who love it and work for it. Not to those who shame it with xenophobic statements" and concluded his publication with a direct allusion to the World Cup semifinal between Spain and France: "France, see you in the semifinals. May the best win and racism lose."
Controversy over Rajoy's column and reaction in France
Rajoy's statements, included in an article in El Debate after Spain's qualification for the semifinals, have drawn criticism from the French government. The Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, described them as "absolutely unacceptable" in statements to BFM TV, while the French Embassy in Spain recalled that "all players of the French national team are French" and that, "of the 26 players, 23 were born in France."
Nuñez added that "France is a diverse country where everyone can develop" and that "there is simply a France, which is a Republic in which everyone must be able to find their place." In his opinion, "I think we move away from that when it comes to things like these. We do not give an image of hope to many young people who live in the neighborhoods and who are citizens of the republic."
Other members of the French Executive have also spoken out. The Minister Delegate for Gender Equality, Aurore Bergé, spoke of "repeated racist slips" and "unbearable," while the Minister for Overseas Territories, Naïma Moutchou, called on the French Football Federation to take "all possible legal action" against the words of the former Spanish president.