Alongside the on-field tension around the important World Cup semifinal between Spain and France, an intense war of words has begun. Spain’s former prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, has now been drawn into the controversy.
Rajoy, who served as Spain’s prime minister from 2011 to 2018, commented on the France national team in an article published in the Spanish outlet El Debate. He wrote that France, at the top of the FIFA ranking, had world-class players, but claimed that the team had “no French players” and yet was playing superbly.
After Rajoy’s comment was published, it created widespread criticism in France, where various political leaders described his remarks as racist and divisive.
France’s interior minister, Laurent Nunez, said in an interview with BFM TV on Sunday that Rajoy’s comment was in no way acceptable. France, he said, was a country where diversity was its strength and where people of various backgrounds had an equal opportunity to establish themselves.
The criticism of Rajoy’s remarks was not confined to France but was also heard in Spain. The country’s transport minister, Oscar Puente, attacked him in strong language, saying such comments did not befit a responsible politician, and also questioned Rajoy’s claim to present himself as a centrist.
Spain’s current prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, also reacted to the matter. In a post on the social platform X, he said there were still people who judged a country’s citizenship by surname, birthplace or skin color, whereas true identity should be determined on the basis of commitment, love and contribution to the country. He called Rajoy’s comment xenophobic.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report