De la Fuente rejects claims of racism in Spain ahead of Madrid meeting with England
Luis de la Fuente told Thomas Tuchel there is no racism in Spain ahead of Spain’s meeting with England at the Metropolitano in Madrid on Sunday night, responding after the England coach said he would remind his players of the anti-racism protocol before the game.
The fixture is England’s first in Madrid since some of their black players were subjected to racist abuse at the Santiago Bernabéu in 2004; England have since returned to Spain three times without incident, twice in Seville and once in Alicante. In the build-up to the match Tuchel said England “will not expect anything [untoward]” but added: “maybe we take our five minutes to inform the players about the protocol if there is a precedent [in Madrid].”
De la Fuente was asked on the eve of the game whether Spain still had work to do on racism after being fined for discriminatory chants about Muslims during a game against Egypt in Barcelona in March; he sought clarification on who had made the earlier remarks and then replied: “I can say the opposite. Tell Thomas there is no racism. As clear as that. Exactly the same as in England. We’re not racists, none of us.”
The Spain coach described the fixture as “one of the best games you can see anywhere in the world right now, maybe the best” and conceded his side needed greater control than they showed in their 3-2 win at Wembley in September. He said the team had been “unable to have longer periods of possession and impose ourselves more on our opponents” in that previous encounter.
Addressing comparisons between English and Spanish club markets, De la Fuente warned against conflating transfer price with player value and said: “There is a song about value and price and it is exactly that. Someone has to pay it and that’s very welcome but it doesn’t mean it is the real value. I am surprised often when you see the prices paid for our players compared to [the fees] paid in England. I think ‘they’re so cheap’. They [Spanish players] are the best in the world. You can buy a player for half the price of what you pay in England for someone. In that world, in that market, that’s what’s spent. But I’m clear on this: we must not confuse price and value.”
On playing styles he said: “Between the English model and the Spanish model, I would choose the Spanish model. It is recognisable and the players have the ability to express it. The English model has developed a lot and I think it is very good. But you have to have the players. We can’t play like them and they can’t play like us.” He also pointed to England’s pace into open space as a strength, saying: “One of the strengths England have is the ability to run into space. When the game is open, they have people who are comfortable with that space and playing that style.”
De la Fuente acknowledged England’s recent tournament form, noting that “In the last two tournaments, England have been third and finalists,” and added: “I think they are a great team and they have great players. That shows you it is not easy to win. Maybe that should make us appreciate what we’re doing this century: it is marvellous and very difficult. England are always candidates to win everything [nowadays].”
Spain and England will meet at the Metropolitano in Madrid on Sunday night for the scheduled fixture, with De la Fuente and Tuchel’s comments forming part of the immediate build-up to the game.