Spain not racist, says coach De la Fuente ahead of England clash

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Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has insisted his country is not racist, dismissing concerns ahead of the UEFA Nations League clash with England in Madri Read More:…

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has dismissed concerns over racism in Spanish football, insisting that the country is not racist ahead of Sunday’s UEFA Nations League encounter with England in Madrid.

De la Fuente made the remarks after being asked about England manager Thomas Tuchel’s decision to remind his players of UEFA’s anti-racism protocol before the Group A3 fixture.

England’s visit to Madrid will be their first since the controversial 2004 encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu, which was overshadowed by racist chants directed at their players.

As reported by BBC Sport on Saturday, responding to whether Tuchel’s comments suggested that more needed to be done to tackle racism in Spain, De la Fuente said: “What I’d tell you, and you can tell Thomas, is that in Spain, there’s no racism.

“Just like that, crystal clear. Just like in England, there’s no racism in Spain. We aren’t racist, any of us.”

However, his comments come amid previous incidents of racism in Spanish football, including the abuse directed at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.

Last month, the Spanish Football Federation was fined and ordered to partially close a stadium after supporters directed Islamophobic and xenophobic chants towards Muslims during an international friendly against Egypt in Barcelona.

In 2024, three Valencia supporters were also sentenced to eight months in prison for racially abusing Vinicius during a La Liga match.

Tuchel had earlier explained that he would remind his players about UEFA’s three-step anti-racism protocol, which allows referees to stop matches, temporarily remove players from the pitch and abandon games if discriminatory behaviour continues.

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