De la Fuente denies racism in Spain despite Yamal, Vinicius avowals

Detailed summary

Yamal and Vinicius have publicly said they face racist abuse in Spain, which has faced FIFA punishment over the issue.

Weeks after FIFA punished Spain over Islamophobic chants by their supporters and their star Lamine Yamal admitted having repeatedly experienced racism in the country, the Spanish team’s head coach, Luis de la Fuente, has claimed the country does not have a racism problem.

De la Fuente appeared to quash any concerns about racism as he addressed the media on Saturday before his team’s UEFA Nations League match against England.

“In Spain, there is no racism,” the 65-year-old said in response to a question about his England counterpart Thomas Tuchel, who revealed he would speak to his players about the antiracism protocol in place before Sunday’s match in Madrid.

“You can tell this to Thomas. As clear as that. There is no racism. Exactly the same as in England, in Spain, there is no racism. We’re not racists, none of us.”

While a capacity crowd is expected for the top-of-the-table Group C clash at the Metropolitano Stadium, the world champions will have to play their next home friendly with a reduced capacity as a punishment for Spanish supporters singing an Islamophobic chant during a fixture against Egypt in March.

Several high-profile players have been targeted by racist abuse in recent years, including Yamal and Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr, who has been moved to tears in news conferences while talking about the issue.

England players faced racist abuse during a game in the Spanish capital in a 2004 friendly in which Black England players, including Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips, were targeted.

Tuchel said he did not expect racist abuse on Sunday but his players ⁠⁠would be reminded of antiracism protocols.

“I think the referee and the officials know about that [racist chanting].”

Opening of the article, excerpted from Al Jazeera. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.