Spain has formally apologised to France after remarks by former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy about the diversity of the French World Cup squad triggered anger in both countries.
The issue came up ahead of Tuesday’s FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final between France and Spain.
According to Reuters, Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called his French counterpart to say Rajoy’s comments were “intolerable” and did not reflect what most Spaniards believe.
“It is very serious to use skin colour to decide who is a citizen and who is not,” Albares said. He described the comments as carrying “the poison of racism and xenophobia.”
The problem started after Rajoy wrote in Spanish news site El Debate that France had “a squad of the very highest calibre”, but added that there were “no French players in it.”
The comment appeared to target the African and Afro-Caribbean background of several players in the current French team, including captain Kylian Mbappé.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who was in Paris for France’s National Day, also spoke out. He criticised people “who judge nationality by surname, place of birth or skin colour,” and called Rajoy’s words “shamefully xenophobic.”
The timing made things worse. The row happened just days after Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla insulted Mbappé following Paraguay’s exit from the World Cup. She called him a “colonised Cameroonian” pretending to be French. Mbappé responded publicly, defending himself and his teammates.
In France, the reaction cut across political lines.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said: “France has no skin colour. Any statement to the contrary is a sign of idiocy, racism, or both combined.”
Even France’s far-right National Rally joined in. Party spokesman Julien Odoul described Rajoy’s statement as “scandalous, shameful and deplorable,” and called him “a racist.”
Rajoy has not spoken publicly since the backlash began. A spokesperson for his People’s Party said the article was meant as sarcasm and that no harm was intended.
The controversy has added tension ahead of the World Cup semi-final, a match already being called “the final before the final” by many fans.