Sanchez praises Spain squad unity before World Cup final with Argentina

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — With corruption cases mounting around him, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has praised the cohesion of the country’s football side before Sunday’s World Cup final versus Argentina.

Writing in an opinion column for El Pais, Sanchez argued that the squad mirrored “the Spain that bets on collective talent to win and to show itself to the world as the loved and respected country that it is”.

The Socialist premier, who plans to be at MetLife Stadium near New York for the match with King Felipe VI, said the players stood for “solidarity and team spirit” as much as for skill on the pitch. He added that Spain’s attacking approach had “captivated” fans and saluted the principles he associates with the nation.

During the final, he wrote, Spaniards “will become one”, “guided by the spirit of camaraderie” that coach Luis de la Fuente “has instilled in this unique team.”

The remarks land while Sanchez’s minority administration is under pressure from graft allegations tied to people in his circle. A court said on Thursday that his spouse, Begona Gomez, faces trial on accusations of influence peddling and embezzlement. On Tuesday, a separate court banned his brother, David Sanchez, from public office for nine years after convicting him of administrative misconduct linked to a custom-created local government job. In June, Jose Luis Abalos — once a close Sanchez ally and former minister — received a 24-year prison term for embezzlement and related crimes.

Separately, ex-conservative premier Mariano Rajoy drew criticism in Spain and overseas after claiming the French side had no French players. Spain knocked France out in the semi-finals; several of France’s players were born in France and come from immigrant families.