00:00Spain's former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has courted controversy after stating that
00:05France's team is playing, quote, without Frenchmen at this year's World Cup.
00:10Rajoy made the comment in a World Cup-themed column he has been writing for Spanish newspaper
00:14El Debate.
00:15His latest article looked ahead to Spain's upcoming fixture against Les Bleus in an all-European
00:21semi-final clash.
00:22He wrote that France had a top-tier squad, but that was quickly followed up with the
00:27comment that it does not include any Frenchmen, an apparent reference to the fact that many
00:31players on the team have immigrant backgrounds or hail from former French colonies.
00:36Of all the 26 players called up by head coach Didier Deschamps, only three were born outside
00:41France.
00:42Michael Olisse, born in London to an English and French parent, Marcus Touram, born in
00:48Italy to French football legend Liliane Touram, and Brice Samba, who was born in the Democratic
00:53Republic of the Congo.
00:54The former conservative premier, who led Spain between 2011 and 2018, received widespread
01:00backlash over his comments, which were labeled racist and xenophobic.
01:05Just days ago, following a French win over Paraguay, star striker Kylian Mbappe was involved
01:10in an online row with a Paraguayan lawmaker who racially abused him, posting online that he's
01:16a colonized Cameroonian pretending to be French.
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