Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, facing graft scandals at home, has hailed the national football team’s unity ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final against Argentina.
In an opinion piece published in daily El Pais, Sanchez said the squad reflected "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 leader, who will attend the match at MetLife Stadium near New York alongside King Felipe VI, said the players embodied "solidarity and team spirit" as well as technical ability.
He wrote that the side’s attacking style had "captivated" supporters and praised the values he said defined Spain.
The country "will become one" during the match, "guided by the spirit of camaraderie" that Spain coach Luis de la Fuente "has instilled in this unique team," Sanchez said.
His comments come as Sanchez confronts a series of graft scandals involving people close to him that have put his minority government under strain.
A court confirmed on Thursday that his wife, Begona Gomez, will stand trial for alleged influence peddling and embezzlement.
On Tuesday, another court barred his brother, David Sanchez, from holding public office for nine years after finding him guilty of administrative misconduct over the creation of a tailor made local government post.
In June, Jose Luis Abalos, Sanchez’s former close ally and ex-minister, was sentenced to 24 years in prison for embezzlement and other offences.
Meanwhile, in comments that have been decried in Spain and abroad, former conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy recently said there were no French players on the French team.
In the semifinals, Spain defeated France, whose team has several French-born players with immigrant backgrounds.
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