England manager Thomas Tuchel will remind his players of UEFA's anti-racism rules ahead of their Nations League clash with Spain in Madrid. It is the first time England will play in the Spanish capital since 2004, when black players were subjected to shocking racist abuse at Real Madrid's Bernabeu Stadium.
England face Spain at Atletico Madrid's Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday. Tuchel confirmed he will talk to the squad beforehand to remind them of the protocols in place.
Tuchel Confirms Protocol Reminder
Tuchel said: "I still think the protocol is in place and it's important that the players know about the protocol. And then yes, we will give our answers if stuff like this happens. The best answers are on the pitch. I think we had the same discussion before the Serbia game."
UEFA's three-step protocol begins with the referee pausing the match for a public address announcement ordering the behaviour to stop. The second step involves suspending the game and both sets of players leaving the pitch, while the final step is to abandon the match.
2004 Bernabeu Abuse Recalled
In November 2004, England players Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips were subjected to repeated baiting and monkey chants by large sections of the 60,000 crowd. Then Prime Minister Tony Blair and Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero both condemned the racist abuse, but the Spanish FA was fined only £44,750 for the chanting.
England played in Spain in 2009, but the FA refused to hold the game in Madrid because of the previous issues. That match took place in Seville, and England have since played in Seville and Alicante without problems.
Spain's Ongoing Racism Issues
Spain has faced high-profile racism problems, with Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior subjected to over 20 incidents of racism in the country over the years.
Tuchel added: "I think it's unacceptable. In any stadium, not even in stadiums, we will never accept racism. We will never be racist towards anyone. That's just not who we are, and that's why I expect, of course, full support from the Spanish crowd for the Spanish team. We will not expect anything. And I think the referee in the games and the officials know about that."
Tuchel referenced similar discussions with players before England's match against Serbia in Belgrade in 2025, which passed without incident.
