The former Spanish conservative prime minister Mariano Rajoy is facing growing accusations of racism after writing in a World Cup newspaper column that the French national team “does not have any French players”.
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Rajoy, who was in office from 2011 to 2018, pondered Spain’s looming semi-final showdown with France in an article for the online newspaper El Debate on Friday.
“It’s worth remembering that France has been a two-time world champion and was a finalist in the last World Cup,” he wrote. “They’ve won every match they’ve played in this World Cup and are currently ranked No 1 in the Fifa rankings. They also have a top-level squad. That said, they don’t have any French players. And they’re playing very well. They’ll be a formidable opponent.”
Rajoy’s remarks, which have drawn comparisons to a Paraguayan senator’s recent racist social media attack on Kylian Mbappé, elicited a scathing response from Spain’s current prime minister.
“Others measure it by our roots in a country and our will to contribute to it. Playing soccer. Caring for our elders. Or opening businesses. Spain belongs to those who love it and work for it. Not to those who shame it with xenophobic statements.”
Rajoy’s words provoked a furious response in France.
“That’s completely unacceptable,” France’s interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, told the French channel BFMTV on Sunday. “That’s completely not what France is about. France is a country of diversity where everyone can thrive and find their place.”
Olivier Faure, the leader of the French Socialist party, said the French national team was composed only of French citizens.
“France is not an ethnic nation; it has no skin colour or religion,” he added in a post on X. “It is a political nation united around the republican motto – much to the chagrin of the racist right.”
Fabien Roussel, the leader of the French Communist party, condemned Rajoy and said his words were reminiscent of the racist tirade from the Paraguayan senator, Celeste Amarilla, who called Mbappé a “colonised Cameroonian, desperately trying to pass himself off as French”.
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Roussel said: “They cannot help but spew filthy racism in an attempt to annoy our beautiful French team.”
Others saw a familiar pattern. “The same racist obsessions and insults resurface every time [France] wins,” said Naïma Moutchou, France’s minister for overseas territories.
“These aren’t just ‘slips of the tongue’. It’s a methodical and normalised hatred of France and what it represents.”
Moutchou called on the French football federation, which has already filed a complaint with Paris prosecutors over Amarilla’s remarks, to “pursue all legal avenues”.
Sánchez ended his post on X with a cordial wish: “France, we’ll see you in the semi-finals. May the best team win and may racism lose.” %!s()
The long-delayed bill to create a Hillsborough Law is expected to be approved by MPs next week after the government said it could return to Parliament before the summer recess.
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Downing Street withdrew the legislation from the parliamentary agenda in January following disagreements over how far it would require intelligence services to comply with a proposed legal "duty of candour" on public bodies and officials.
The legislation - formally known as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill - is now expected to be passed by the House of Commons on Tuesday, paving the way for it to become law by the autumn.
The 1989 Hillsborough disaster claimed 97 lives after a crush during the FA Cup semi-final.
Police spread false narratives blaming Liverpool fans and withheld evidence of their own failings after the disaster at Sheffield Wednesday's ground.
Fresh inquests held in 2016 found the Liverpool fans had been unlawfully killed and it was the police who had caused or contributed to their deaths.
The Hillsborough Law would create a legal duty for public officials to tell the truth to inquiries and investigations.
A previously proposed government amendment would have given the heads of intelligence agencies the right to decide whether to co-operate with public inquiries, enabling them to opt out if they thought giving evidence would cause a national security risk.
Families bereaved by the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing wrote to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in January to say MI5 should not be exempt - and later met him in person.
A public inquiry found the agency had not given an "accurate picture" of the key intelligence it held on the suicide bomber.
A government source has told the BBC ministers have now agreed a new amendment, which campaigners say means there will be no exemption for the intelligence services.
Hillsborough survivor Ian Byrne MP, who has led the parliamentary campaign for the law, told the BBC: "I'm absolutely delighted, and above all relieved, that we have finally secured the Hillsborough Law.
"This is a lasting legacy for the 97, for the survivors, the bereaved families, and for every person who has suffered at the hands of the state and been denied truth and justice."
Sources close to the discussions said Andy Burnham, the likely next prime minister and a long-standing supporter of the Hillsborough families and survivors, helped persuade ministers to allow the bill to proceed without the changes campaigners had feared.
However, Sir Keir is also understood to have been keen to secure an agreement before leaving office, having made a personal promise to relatives of some Hillsborough victims that he would implement the law as prime minister.
Burnham said the return of the Hillsborough Law to the Commons would be "a major moment in the long fight to end the cover-up culture and secure a country based on truth, justice and accountability".
He said: "We owe the Hillsborough families and all the campaigners our profound thanks for standing firm for what is right and never giving in."
He also said the rebalancing of power must not end there, adding: "We must never forget that an entire English city correctly cried injustice for 20 years but was blanked by the powers-that-be."
Campaigner Jenni Hicks, whose two teenage daughters Sarah and Victoria died in the crush, thanked the PM.
She said: "I've asked Keir Starmer to make this his prime ministerial legacy, not just for the 97 victims of Hillsborough, the survivors and their families, but to ensure accountability for all victims of state wrongdoing.
"I'd like to thank Keir Starmer for finally listening and doing the right thing, which is long overdue."
Charlotte Hennessy, whose father James was among the 97 killed in the tragedy, received a personal promise from Sir Keir Starmer that he would implement a Hillsborough Law as prime minister.
She said: "The prime minister made us a promise and he has fulfilled it, that is a clear testament to the man he is.
"A special thank you to Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham for pushing together to get this bill back on track."
Alex Davies-Jones MP, who led the government's work on the legislation before resigning as victims minister in May, said the bill has been "an unnecessary uphill battle".
She said: "It is long overdue, but when it does finally reach royal assent it will totally change how victims and the public are treated.
"The bill is about honesty, accountability, respect and justice.
"It's a legacy to all those who never gave up in their fight for truth, justice and accountability." %!s()
Paul Merson says Jude Bellingham has the X-factor needed to help England win the World Cup.
The Real Madrid midfielder scored twice - the first player to do so in consecutive knockout stage games at a single World Cup since Diego Maradona in 1986 - in the 2-1 win over Norway which set up a semi-final against Argentina.
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Nine of Bellingham's 12 England goals have been at major tournaments and his six goals in the tournament put him alongside Lineker (1986) and Harry Kane (2018, 2026) as the only England players to score at least five at a single World Cup.
And Merson, speaking on Sky Sports News, thinks England have every chance of winning the World Cup for the first time since 1966 thanks to Bellingham and captain Harry Kane.
Read on for Merson's thoughts on England's win over Norway and their World Cup chances in full!
World Cup knockout bracket | Report: Norway 1-2 England (AET)
England player ratings: This is Bellingham's summer, Kane has off day
Follow it all on the Sky Sports App | Golden Boot race
'Teams win leagues, X-factor wins World Cups - and Bellingham has it'
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Rob Dorsett gives his verdict on England's 2-1 victory over Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals
Only a few months ago we were debating whether it was Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers playing.
How mad are we to even have thought that?
Also See:
'An absolute superstar' - Bellingham England's hero again
England player ratings: This is Bellingham's summer as Kane has an off day
World Cup bracket: England face Argentina in Wednesday semi-final
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No disrespect to Rogers but Bellingham is on another level.
He's a superstar.
Image:
Jude Bellingham saved the day for England once again
For the second goal, the rebound, it's his movement. He goes inside and then back outside to get to the ball and he's the only one who goes for it.
Teams win leagues. X-factor wins tournaments.
We have an X-factor player in Jude Bellingham, and also Harry Kane. We have X-factor in abundance with those two.
When you have players like that, you always have a chance of winning tournaments.
It wasn't Kane's best day against Norway but on this occasion, Bellingham stepped up. He's an absolute superstar.
'Bellingham on way to being an England great'
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Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol analyses England's nerve-wracking 2-1 win over Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals
You'd have to say he's well on the way to being an England great.
He has 50 caps already at 23.
He always turns up for England, especially at the big tournaments. He's a big game player and also, he's a Real Madrid player.
He's a proper, proper footballer.
You see a lot of good players but there are levels. He is moving up the levels very, very quickly to get near the top players.
While England have Bellingham, they have always got a chance.
'England need to play better - and Tuchel knows it'
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Thomas Tuchel urges improvement within his England side and reacts to Spidercam controversy
The performance in general against Norway wasn't great, but we won.
I don't think people understand how hot it is over in America and the difficulty that brings. It's boiling hot over there. I've been to Orlando on holiday and it's bad enough just sitting around the pool. To play football in that heat for that long, extra-time too, fair play to the players. It's an amazing effort from both sets of players.
I can see why Thomas Tuchel wasn't very happy in his interview after the game.
He should have been unhappy because players were making bad mistakes.
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Jude Bellingham responds to Thomas Tuchel's criticism of England's performance against Norway
Tuchel is an elite manager. That's why England brought him in.
He's not silly. He knows that if England play like that, not so much against Argentina, but against France or Spain, we'd get blown away. He knows that and that is why he said what he said after beating Norway.
We are number four in the world and we have got to a semi-final. That is where we should be. At Wimbledon, you expect the top four seeds to get to the last four. If they don't, they have failed.
So, job one we've done. We are in the last four. After that, if we can get to the final we have exceeded expectation. That's the way I think we should look at it.
Merson: England need a fully fit Rice
Sky Sports’ Paul Merson:
“England need a fully fit Declan Rice back and firing.
“It’s a testament to how good our squad is the amount of times Tuchel changed things up against Norway. It’s a very strong squad.
“But Declan has to be fit. He didn’t look right against Norway. He puts the ball on a sixpence from a corner for Arsenal. He couldn’t even beat the first man.
“However, Rice has to play. Hopefully it was just illness affecting him. We need our best players on the pitch.
“If it isn’t working, we have the players on the bench to change things. We are probably the only nation who have four or five subs that can come on and not really weaken the side. The squad is at a top level and that gives us a big advantage.”
'World Cup glory getting closer'
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Hayley McQueen brings you reaction to England's win over Norway which sets up a World Cup semi-final against Argentina
Whoever wins the World Cup will have to be lucky along the way. No team that wins a World Cup could say they weren't lucky in a moment.
We've had a little bit of luck along the way, and it has brought us to a semi-final against a team in Argentina that do not like us.
I remember France '98 when we lost to them (on penalties in the last 16).
The coaches were right next each other in the car park and I will never forget the Argentina players with their shirts off, banging the windows.
It wasn't classy and that is why there will always be an added something in the game.
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I have no problem with us having to play Argentina. I can see us beating them, even with the way we are playing at the moment, which isn't perfect.
My only concern is if we get through Argentina. We won't be able to play like we are playing and beat France or Spain.
England are good enough to win the World Cup. They have players good enough to win the World Cup.
But they will have to be better. They will have to get the simple things right.
I personally didn't think I'd see England win a World Cup in my lifetime, but we are getting closer and closer. %!s()
Tash Farrant hailed Heather Knight as "one of the greats" after the former England captain announced her retirement from international cricket.
Knight, 35, will make her England exit alongside Tammy Beaumont at the conclusion of the first women's Test match at Lord's against India this week.
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Making her debut in 2010, Knight has gone on to win 320 caps for England, while she captained the side from 2016 to 2025, most notably leading the team to a memorable victory in the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup on home soil.
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Heather Knight explains her decision to retire from international cricket, stating the time felt right and shared a special moment when announcing the news to the dressing room yesterday.
Former captain Heather Knight announces England retirement
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"It's a huge moment, isn't it? She has been one of the greats to ever play for England," former team-mate Farrant said on Sky Sports Cricket.
"She's been so integral to England cricket and women's cricket in general over the last 16 years her career has spanned.
"She would have wanted to go out on her own terms. Not a lot of people are able to do that, and she loves Test match cricket as well, so to be able to play a Test match at Lord's - the first - I'm not surprised by the decision
Farrant added: "I think it will be that 2017 World Cup title here [at Lord's] that will be remembered forever.
"And actually, she came in at a tough time, to follow Charlotte Edwards as England captain is no easy thing to do. For her to be able to galvanise that team quickly and win that World Cup.
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Heather Knight led England to victory in the 2017 50-over World Cup
"Something that I always admired about her is she was so gritty on the pitch, such a hardy cricketer.
"She loved those tough times, and felt that that's what made her a better cricketer."
Knight is currently ranked third among England's all-time leading run-scorers in T20I and ODI cricket, while she was also the first English player to score centuries in all three formats.
But Farrant also stressed that it was Knight's often 'unnoticed' work off the field that she would most remember her for.
"Playing under her, she was such a good leader - more so for the things that she did off the field," Farrant added.
"She was one of, if not the hardest worker in training, with her fitness.
"As a young player coming through, you can get swept up in international cricket, can't you? And you can lose the bits of your life - your friends, your family - because you're so immersed in it.
"I always had an admiration for Heather as she always had such a lovely balance between working hard - making sure you did everything, so you're ready to be on that pitch - but also the other stuff when we went away on tour, making sure as a captain we got to go and immerse ourselves in the culture of this new country we were in.
"They're the memories that I'll have of her. Not just on the pitch, but the stuff that she did off the pitch. The things that go a little bit unnoticed sometimes."
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Heather Knight was the first English player to score a century in all three formats
'Good timing for Knight retirement'
Fellow former England international, Ebony Rainford-Brent, also labelled Knight as a "great" but believes it's the right time for her to retire.
"My first thought was good timing, to be honest," Rainford-Brent said. "I think it's really important to go out on a high.
"She has done so much for the game. She's captained here in a World Cup final win at Lords.
"She would have hoped they could have won again on home soil [in the T20 World Cup], but she got to the final, and I think she's just looking forward, thinking, 'I've got a lot to give off the field and I've given everything on it'.
"Go out when your name is still at its peak. There's nothing worse than players who kind of drag it out." %!s()
Police investigating the alleged murder of Ann Widdecombe say there is "nothing to suggest it was politically motivated".
Devon and Cornwall Police added they are not looking for anyone else in connection with her death, following the arrest of a 28-year-old white British man in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on Saturday.
The former MP and MEP, 78, was found dead at her home in Haytor, Devon, on Thursday, having sustained serious injuries. Police believe she had been attacked almost 24 hours earlier.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said officers remained "open-minded" about a potential motive and that there was not thought to be any threat to the wider public.
The arrest was carried out shortly after 21:00 BST by officers at Counter Terrorism Police North East and South Yorkshire Police, on behalf of the force.
There is no information to suggest the attack on Widdecombe was terrorism-related, Longman told reporters on Sunday.
The family of the former Conservative minister, and later Reform UK spokesperson, have been informed of the updates and are being supported by specialist officers.
Devon and Cornwall Police has received more than 120 reports of information after making a public appeal, and Longman askedanyone who had not yet come forward to do so "as a priority".
Image source, PA Media
He reiterated calls asking people not to speculate, especially about a potential motive, saying this was "unhelpful" for the investigation and "distressing" to Widdecombe's relatives.
Longman said a "heightened" police presence would remain in the area over the coming weeks.
Chief Constable James Vaughan said Devon and Cornwall Police had "mounted an extraordinary response to a horrific murder of a very prominent public figure" and shown "British policing at its very best".
He said the investigation had been running at "lightning pace" over the past 48 hours, adding: "I am really pleased that we have a suspect firmly in custody."
Widdecombe served as the Conservative MP for Maidstone for 23 years, holding ministerial roles in John Major's government between 1994 and 1997.
Following her departure from the Commons in 2010, Widdecombe appeared on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing that year, and was a runner-up on Celebrity Big Brother eight years later.
She joined the Brexit Party in 2019 where she represented South West England as its MEP from 2019 to 2020.
Image source, Getty Images
There has been an outpouring of shock and grief from across the political divide following the news of her death.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to Widdecombe, describing her death as a "significant loss" as he called on people to "rise above" political differences.
"My heart is breaking for her family," said Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, describing Widdecombe as a "very fun and feisty woman".
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who visited Dartmoor to pay his respects to Widdecombe, described her as a "remarkable individual" and "the fiercest defender of free speech".
"She was an extraordinary lady," shadow chancellor Mel Stride, MP for Central Devon - Widdecombe's constituency - told BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.
"I was always struck both by the fact she had real true conviction, strong personality, yet she had that twinkle in her eye, that enormous energy and that great sense of humour," he said, describing the combination as "quite rare" and "rather special".
Peter Horrell, her personal driver of 10 years, was among those who lay flowers outside her home.
He said Widdecombe had "never mentioned any fear" for her safety and loved living in the tiny village she had made her home. %!s()
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, PA Media
Image source, Getty Images