France have been given added motivation to beat Spain in their World Cup semi-final after a racist attack on them by a former Spanish Prime Minister, who implied none of the team are French because so many are of colour.
The comments by Mariano Rajoy, a week after a Paraguayan senator launched a nakedly racist attack on Kylian Mbappe, have provoked outrage in France and Luis de la Fuente’s players found themselves having to disown them ahead of their clash with the French here.
Defender Pau Cubarsi said: ‘If they play for the French national team, they are French, regardless of their skin colour. We must show tolerance towards everyone, because we all deserve respect.’
Striker Borja Iglesias said: ‘I can understand that he didn’t say it with bad intentions, but we need to be more vigilant about this kind of remark.’
The French Embassy in Spain also condemned Rajoy, who said of France in an opinion piece published by the newspaper El Debate: ‘They have a top-level squad. That said, they don’t have any French players.’ The Embassy issued a factual rebuttal, noting that all 26 players of Didier Deschamps’ players are French citizens, 23 of them born in France.
France’s players, led by Kylian Mbappe (right), are facing another racism scandal
Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy made racist comments about France’s players
The France squad are said to have viewed the politician’s comments with bemusement, but a second racist attack on them in as many weeks is likely to fuel their resolve to beat the world’s No 3 nation at the Dallas Stadium and reach a third successive World Cup final.
The players’ siege mentality was strengthened after a round of 16 game in which France beat a cynical Paraguay team, when that country’s senator Celeste Amarilla attacked Mbappe as a ‘colonized Cameroonian, pretending to be French – resentful, nouveau riche, arrogant and ugly.’
The French captain called her ‘a despicable woman, unworthy of her office’ and the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened a judicial investigation into Amarilla. Bizarrely, she then said was considering suing Mbappe for ‘gender-based violence.’
The latest attack contributes to a sense that France is under siege from opponents here. The French nation also felt slighted when Argentina criticised the appointment of a French referee, Francois Letexier, for their game against Egypt.
Kylian Mbappe called senator Celeste Amarilla: ‘a despicable woman, unworthy of her office’
Mbappe’s forthright response to Amarilla two weeks ago was admired by team-mates, though there is far greater motivation for France’s players in comments Lamine Yamal made about the prospect of playing the world’s No 1 side.
Yamal, whose parents were born in Morocco and Equatorial Guinea and who is regularly the target of racist attacks in his own country, said: ‘We beat France in our last two matches. If France should be afraid of anyone, it’s us.’
Ibrahima Konate responded: ‘To be honest, we don’t listen to what’s being said. We mustn’t be afraid of anyone.
‘We must remain humble and not fall into that trap, especially at this stage of the competition. He can say what he wants. We’re going to try to prepare as best we can. And at the end of the match, we’ll see who benefits.’
