Sports

Spain Coach De la Fuente Declares No Racism in Country Amid Player Abuse Claims

By Hafsa Adil

Luis de la Fuente, the head coach of the Spanish national team, stated on Saturday that Spain does not suffer from racism, saying, "In Spain, there is no racism. Exactly the same as in England, in Spain, there is no racism. We’re not racists, none of us." He made the remark while speaking to the media before Spain’s UEFA Nations League match against England. The comment came after Lamine Yamal and Vinicius Jr. publicly said they have faced racist abuse in Spain. Yamal, who plays for Barcelona, admitted in September that he has experienced racism "a thousand times" and that many people do not realize their comments or behaviour are racist. He also criticized anti‑Muslim chants by fans during a friendly against Egypt, where supporters chanted, "Whoever doesn’t jump is Muslim." Yamal posted on Instagram that the chant was disrespectful and intolerable. Vinicius Jr., a Real Madrid forward, has also been a target of racist abuse and has spoken in tearful press conferences about the issue. He praised Yamal for condemning Islamophobic chants and urged players to unite against discrimination. Spain will play its next home friendly with a reduced capacity as a punishment for supporters singing an Islamophobic chant during a March fixture against Egypt. England’s coach Thomas Tuchel said he would remind his players of the antiracism protocol before the match and clarified that he had not spoken specifically about racism in Spain. England midfielder Declan Rice said the squad knows how to respond if racism occurs, citing past experiences in Montenegro and Bulgaria. The Spanish team’s statement follows FIFA’s recent punishment of Spain over Islamophobic chants by supporters.