Mariano Rajoy welcomes attention after racist remarks about France team | OneFootball

Mariano Rajoy has revisited his racist remarks about France’s national team, offering no apology and instead praising the attention they drew.

As reported by L'Équipe, the former Spanish prime minister, in office from 2011 to 2018, set out his stance in an op-ed.

Before the semi-final between France and Spain, he had described Les Bleus as a football team without French players, sparking another row in France after the Celeste Amarilla affair. On X, the French embassy in Spain reminded that all France players are French.

Pedro Sanchez later apologised to his French counterpart, Sébastien Lecornu, and to Brigitte Macron, saying he had been deeply ashamed.

After La Roja beat France 2-0 on Tuesday, Rajoy criticised Sanchez for giving more importance to a deferential gesture to a prime minister to create noise, divert attention and stir emotion.

The conservative continues to confront Sanchez’s socialist government, which took office in 2018 after a no-confidence motion that ousted Rajoy.

Source: L'Équipe