Coach Luis de la Fuente has claimed that “there’s no racism in Spain” after Thomas Tuchel said he’d be reminding his England players of anti-racism protocols ahead of Sunday’s game between the two countries.
The Nations League match is the first time Spain have hosted England in Madrid since 2004 — when England’s players were targeted with racist abuse by fans — although the teams have met three times elsewhere in Spain since, without incident.
Spain were fined by FIFA last month over Islamophobic chanting from fans during a national team game in Barcelona, earlier this year.
“Maybe we take our five minutes to inform the players about the protocol if there is a precedent,” Tuchel said this week, while stressing that he did not expect any incidents at the Metropolitano.
“What I’d tell you, and you can tell Thomas [Tuchel], is that in Spain, there’s no racism,” De la Fuente said in a news conference on Saturday, when told about the comments. “Just like that, crystal clear. Just like in England. There’s no racism in Spain. We aren’t racist, any of us.”
The Spanish football federation were fined €15,000 and handed a partial stadium closure after some fans chanted “anyone who doesn’t jump is a Muslim” during a friendly with Egypt on March 31, in an incident which star forward Lamine Yamal described as “ignorant and racist.”
