Yamal responds to Rajoy's column: football is for integration

Lamine Yamal, Spain's youngest star of Moroccan and Equatoguinean descent, has responded to former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's controversial column, asserting that football's purpose is integration, not division. Source: infobae The response came during a press conference ahead of Spain's World Cup semifinal against France.

Rajoy's column

Mariano Rajoy, writing for El Debate after Spain's win over Belgium, sparked outrage by referring to "los rojos" and describing the French team as "de altísimo nivel... sin franceses." These comments were widely condemned as racist. The controversy escalated beyond Spain, with the French government issuing a response to what was perceived as xenophobic remarks. Source: euronewses

Yamal's reaction

When questioned, Yamal chose not to engage directly with Rajoy's statements. Instead, he highlighted football's integrative power: "Si el fútbol sirve para algo es para integrar." He called the semifinal "uno de los partidos más bonitos que se puede jugar en un Mundial." Yamal, who knows firsthand the dynamics of diversity in football, declined to further discuss the column, focusing on the upcoming match. Source: euronewses, infobae