Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente insisted on Saturday that Spain does not have a racism problem ahead of his side’s Nations League clash against England, despite an upcoming stadium sanction over anti-Muslim chanting by supporters earlier this year. Speaking to reporters a day after England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would discuss anti-racism protocols with his players before Sunday’s match in Madrid, De la Fuente dismissed suggestions that racism is a widespread issue in Spain. “There is no racism in Spain,” De la Fuente said.
England players were subjected to racist abuse during a match in Madrid in 2004, while Spain will play their next home friendly in a partially closed stadium after supporters sang discriminatory chants about Muslims during a fixture against Egypt in March.
Several other incidents of racist abuse have also occurred at Spanish football matches in recent years, most notably those directed at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.
Tuchel said on Friday that players had been informed about the procedures in place to deal with discriminatory behaviour.
“I think the referee and the officials know about that. There is a protocol in place, and it’s important that the players know about the protocol,” he said.
The England boss later clarified that his remarks were not specifically aimed at Spain and accused reporters of creating unnecessary controversy.
“I never talked about racism in Spain. I answered politely a question about what happens,” Tuchel said.
De la Fuente also provided an update on teenage star Lamine Yamal, who missed Spain’s victory over the Czech Republic on Thursday due to a knee issue.
“We’ll see if he starts, but if he plays, it will be because he is fit to do so. I’m not sure if he can manage a full 90 minutes, but he is in perfect shape,” De la Fuente said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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