France’s forward #10 Kylian Mbappe celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s third goal during the 2026 World Cup Group I football match between France and Senegal at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on June 16, 2026. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
By Adegboyega Adeleye
Spain has apologised to France after former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy sparked a racism row by questioning the “Frenchness” of France’s national football team ahead of Tuesday’s FIFA World Cup semi-final.
According to Reuters, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told his French counterpart that Rajoy’s comments were “intolerable” and did not represent the views of the overwhelming majority of Spaniards.
“It’s a very serious matter to go around using skin colour to determine who can be a citizen and who cannot,” Albares said, describing the remarks as carrying “the poison of racism and xenophobia.”
