Racism row overshadows France-Spain World Cup semi-final

Racism row overshadows France-Spain World Cup semi-final as a diplomatic dispute erupted before Tuesday’s France vs Spain semifinal. The controversy began after former Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy wrote in a newspaper column describing the French team as “without French players,” triggering backlash from French officials and football authorities. France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said he was confident the team would respond with performance, while interior minister Laurent Nuñez called Rajoy’s remarks “absolutely unacceptable.” The French embassy in Spain clarified that all 26 players in the squad are French, with 23 born in France and three born abroad but still French. In Spain, the incident escalated into a political clash between the ruling Socialists and Rajoy’s People’s Party, with Spain’s foreign minister José Manuel Albares saying he contacted Paris. The episode follows an earlier racism row involving Paris prosecutors and online remarks about Kylian Mbappé.