Mariano Rajoy publishes a column on “El Debate” saying France’s national football team plays “without Frenchmen,” and the comment is prompting sharp rebukes in Spain and France.José Cepeda calls the language racist and xenophobic, Aurore Bergé brands it intolerable and Fabien Roussel urges condemnation as the remarks follow other racist incidents aimed at the squad, including insults to Kylian Mbappé.Rajoy points to players born outside metropolitan France —
Michael Olise in London,
Marcus Thuram in Parma and
Brice Samba in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — reviving a long debate over immigration and national identity ahead of the
Spain–France
World Cup semifinal.