Former Spanish PM Rajoy stirs controversy with France World Cup remark

Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has drawn criticism from politicians in Spain and France after writing that France's national football team fields a squad with "no French players" inside it. Rajoy, who writes opinion columns for El Debate after Spain's matches during the World Cup, made the comment in a preview of Spain's semifinal against France. He acknowledged France's record as a two-time world champion, its run to the previous final, its perfect record in this tournament and its top FIFA ranking, before adding the remark about the squad's composition. The technical data does not support his claim. Of the 26 players named by France coach Didier Deschamps, only three were born outside France. French Transport Minister Oscar Bonnet hit back on social media, quoting the article and calling Rajoy "the degenerate clown of the post-Franco era, who was spared prison through a convoluted judicial path and who tries to present himself as moderate." Other politicians in both countries have also condemned the comment as racist. No further reaction from Rajoy was immediately available.