De la Fuente dismisses racism concerns as Tuchel clarifies England briefing

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente dismissed concerns about racism in Spanish football on Saturday after England manager Thomas Tuchel outlined plans to remind his players of UEFA's anti-racism procedures. According to BBC Sport, De la Fuente said there was no racism in Spain when questioned about Tuchel's remarks before the countries' Nations League meeting in Madrid.

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Tuchel clarified that he had not predicted abuse or made a general accusation about Spain. He said his earlier comments had been responses to questions about how England would act if an incident occurred. The England manager expressed confidence that the atmosphere would be friendly, while acknowledging that the crowd would strongly support the home side.

The discussion comes before England's first visit to the Spanish capital since the 2004 match at the Bernabeu during which their players were subjected to racist chanting. Tuchel had said on Friday that the squad could spend a few minutes reviewing the relevant protocol. UEFA's procedure allows a referee to interrupt play, temporarily remove players from the field and ultimately abandon a match if discriminatory behaviour persists.

BBC Sport also reported recent sanctions involving Spanish football. The Spanish Football Federation was fined last month and ordered to partially close a stadium after Islamophobic and xenophobic chanting during a match against Egypt in Barcelona. Separately, three Valencia supporters received eight-month prison sentences in 2024 for racially abusing Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr, who has repeatedly spoken out against racism.

England midfielder Declan Rice said his experiences in Montenegro and Bulgaria had made him familiar with the procedures available to players. He said the squad understood its collective position and condemned the continued presence of racism in football. Rice also said abuse directed at a player from either team would damage the occasion, rather than treating the concern as one affecting England alone.

Sunday's fixture will decide which side finishes first in League A Group 3. Tuchel's stated expectation remained that football would bring supporters together, with the anti-racism protocol available should it be required.