De la Fuente rejects racism concerns ahead of Spain v England Nations League meeting

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente dismissed concerns about racism in Spanish football ahead of his side's UEFA Nations League meeting with England in Madrid on Sunday. When asked whether Thomas Tuchel's warning suggested work remained 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."

De la Fuente, who agreed a contract extension in September to stay as Spain boss until 2032, was responding after Tuchel said he would remind his England players of UEFA's anti-racism protocol before the fixture. The match will determine who finishes top of League A Group 3, and Tuchel had stressed he did not expect any incidents on the visit. The encounter is England's first trip to Madrid since the 2004 Bernabeu match that was affected by racist chanting.

UEFA's three-step protocol allows referees to stop matches, take players off the pitch temporarily and ultimately abandon a game if discriminatory behaviour continues. Tuchel said: "Maybe we take our five minutes to inform the players about the protocol if there is a precedent [in Madrid]. And then, yeah, we will give our answers if stuff like this happens. Best answers are on the pitch." He later added: "I never talk about racism in Spain. "I answered politely a question about what happens, I never expect racism. I got asked, 'what will happen if and if and if?'. And I said, 'if it happens, there's a protocol in place'. That's it. "But my trust is that we have a friendly atmosphere, that we have an atmosphere who is clearly in favour of the Spanish team, and that football does what it does best: brings people together and not divide people."

The Spanish Football Federation was fined last month and ordered to partially close a stadium after supporters directed Islamophobic and xenophobic chants towards Muslims during a match against Egypt in Barcelona. In the domestic game, Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr has been a vocal anti-racism campaigner after frequently being on the end of racist chanting - and worse. In 2024 three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison for abusing him at a match.

De la Fuente said both teams were at the pinnacle of world football, noting Spain had been crowned World Cup winners in the summer while England finished third after losing to Argentina in the semi-finals. "I prefer the Spanish model. It's very recognisable, the players are perfectly adapted," said De la Fuente. "The English model is very good, but you have to have that type of player. Neither England can play like Spain, nor Spain like England."

He described Spain's current period as "our best moment in a long time" and said opponents were more aggressive in trying to beat them. De la Fuente also addressed transfer-market comparisons: "Spanish footballers surprise me that, compared to what is paid in England, they are very cheap," he explained. "I see them as better, in my opinion. Everyone in their market can set the prices." On Lamine Yamal's fitness he said: "We will see if he is a starter, but if he comes out, it's because he's fit to play."

The Nations League fixture in Madrid will decide top spot in League A Group 3 and serve as the immediate test of whether the issues raised in pre-match briefings translate into action on or off the pitch.