Spain defender Pau Cubarsí has called for tolerance after former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy claimed in a column for El Debate that France "don't have any French players." The comments surfaced ahead of the World Cup semifinal between the two nations.

Cubarsí disputed the notion, stating, "If they play for the French national team then at the end of the day they are French, regardless of the colour of their skin." He emphasized that everyone deserves respect regardless of appearance.

Rajoy's remarks drew severe criticism from political figures. Spain's Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, called him a "post-Francoist crook," while the French embassy in Madrid clarified that of the 26 players on the French team, 23 were born in France and the others are also French.

French officials, including Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure and Minister Naïma Moutchou, accused Rajoy of racism. Moutchou called on the France Football Federation to take legal action, describing the comments as "methodical and normalised hatred."