Tuchel to brief England on Uefa anti-racism protocols before Spain game in Madrid

England manager Thomas Tuchel said he will remind his players of Uefa's anti-racism protocols ahead of Sunday's Nations League match against Spain in Madrid. The fixture will be played at Atletico Madrid's Metropolitano.

England sit three points behind Spain at the top of their Nations League group. The game will be England's first in the Spanish capital since the 2004 friendly at Real Madrid's Bernabeu that was overshadowed by racist chanting aimed at England players. England's black players such as Ashley Cole and Rio Ferdinand were subject to that abuse. The Spanish federation was fined last month and ordered to play its next friendly with a partial stadium closure after fans sang "Islamophobic and xenophobic" chants about Muslims during a game against Egypt.

Tuchel said he had already addressed protocols with his squad before a recent away fixture. "We had a same discussion before the Serbia game [in Belgrade in September 2025]," Tuchel said. "There is a protocol in place. "Maybe we take our five minutes to inform the players about the protocol if there is a precedent [in Madrid]."

European governing body Uefa, the organiser of the Nations League, has a three-step protocol to handle incidents of discrimination inside stadiums, designed to give referees the power to halt matches, and even abandon games if racist behaviour continues. In the first instance, referees halt the match and request an announcement on the public address system. Then, if discrimination continues, officials can stop the game for five to 10 minutes and take the players from the field. If issues continue after the second stoppage, then the game can be abandoned.

"It's important that the players know about the protocol," Tuchel said. "And then, yeah, we will give our answers if stuff like this happens. Best answers are on the pitch."

Victory on Sunday would ensure England win their Nations League group and earn a more favourable quarter-final draw, while world champions Spain are unbeaten in 43 matches, including a 3-2 win at Wembley in September. "It's important that we play with the same mindset that we played at home, and attack them and try to make it a physical game, and try to impose our strength," Tuchel added. "It [Spain] is a team that has forgotten how to lose, so it requires a top performance first of all, and if we can deliver this performance, it will give us a big boost. "I think we're there, and I think we're ready to win on Sunday,"

The Nations League fixture takes place on Sunday at the Metropolitano in Madrid; a win would secure England the top spot in their group and a more favourable quarter-final draw.