France Hits Back at Rajoy’s ‘No French Players’ Remark Before World Cup Semi

France’s embassy in Spain has rejected former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s claim that its national team includes “no French players.” Officials stressed all squad members, including those born abroad, hold French nationality. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez called Rajoy’s words “absolutely unacceptable,” and Spain’s current Prime Minister condemned the remark as xenophobic. He argued that belonging to a country comes from love and contribution, not birth or skin colour. Leading French politicians also spoke out. A regional president labelled the comments “despicable racism,” while the overseas territories minister said they revealed “widespread hatred of France.” The controversy follows hate speech aimed at captain Kylian Mbappé by a Paraguayan senator after Paraguay’s recent World Cup loss. The two teams meet this Tuesday in a high-stakes semi-final clash.

Use The App To Win ₦1m

Stories are shared by community members. This article does not represent the official view of NaijaWorld — the author is solely responsible for its content.