MADRID: Spain’s conservative ex-prime minister Mariano Rajoy faced criticism at home and in France Sunday after saying the neighboring country’s national football team had “no French players.” The comment, published in an opinion piece in Spanish online news site El Debate, came as Spain prepares to face France Tuesday in a blockbuster World Cup semifinal. Spain’s current Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the remark as “xenophobic.” “There are those who still measure belonging by surname, place of birth, or skin color.

Dans une tribune publiée après la qualification de l’Espagne pour les demi-finales de la Coupe du monde de football, Mariano Rajoy, ancien dirigeant du Parti populaire (droite),…

Rajoy's comment, an apparent reference to the fact that the French men's World Cup squad includes people who either have immigrant backgrounds or hail from former French colonies,…