Tuchel and de la Fuente clash over racism questions before Spain-England Nations League match

England manager Thomas Tuchel said his comments about anti-racism protocols were twisted ahead of England's Nations League match against Spain in Madrid on Sunday.

Tuchel was asked after England's win over Croatia on Thursday how he and England would react if racist abuse occurred during the game. He said he would "maybe take five minutes" to remind his players of the anti-racism protocols and that "we will not expect" any abuse to occur in Madrid.

The match is England's first visit to the Spanish capital since 2004, when the game was marred by racist abuse directed at England's black players. A victory for England would see them win Group A3.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was asked on Saturday whether the continued discussion showed Spanish football still had work to do in the fight against racism. He responded: "What I can tell you, and you can pass this on to Thomas, is that there is no racism in Spain. That's how strongly I feel about it."

He added: "There is no racism. Just as in England, there is no racism in Spain. None of us are racist."

Tuchel said he was "a little upset" by the situation, feeling he had been tricked to "create a lot of confusion for no reason." He said: "I never talked about racism in Spain. I answered politely a question about what happens. I never expect racism and the dressing room is the most anti-racist place on earth."

When asked if he had a message for Spanish fans, Tuchel added: "I sent a message but it got twisted. I said I always expect a friendly atmosphere. I don't expect racism, nowhere. I am shocked if it happens. It should never happen."

England midfielder Declan Rice referenced previous incidents in which the national team had experienced racism, including in Montenegro and Bulgaria. He said: "In the past, I've experienced that in Montenegro, Bulgaria and there was a protocol in place we followed. We came off the pitch. We know exactly where we are as a group on that."

Rice added: "I'm not expecting any of that tomorrow night. This is a beautiful city, great stadium, the players we're playing against we have a lot of respect for. It's set up to be a really good evening and hopefully not a negative one."

Spain were fined and handed a partial stadium closure last month as punishment for Islamophobic chanting in Barcelona during a game against Egypt in March. The Spanish Football Federation was also fined and ordered to partially close a stadium after supporters directed Islamophobic and xenophobic chants towards Muslims during a match against Egypt in Barcelona.

Uefa operates a three-step protocol, allowing referees to stop matches, take players off the pitch temporarily and, ultimately, abandon a game if discriminatory behaviour continues.

Sources

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