De la Fuente Insists 'There's No Racism in Spain' as Tuchel Prepares England for Madrid

Luis de la Fuente has rejected any suggestion that racism is a problem in Spain. The Spain coach was speaking on the eve of a Nations League showdown with England in Madrid, and he had a message for his opposite number.

“What I’d tell you, and you can tell Thomas, is that in Spain, there’s no racism,” De la Fuente said on Saturday, according to BBC Sport. “Just like that, crystal clear. Just like in England, there’s no racism in Spain. We aren’t racist, any of us.”

He was replying to a question about Thomas Tuchel, who had said on Friday that he would go over Uefa’s anti-racism protocol with the England squad before the game.

What Tuchel said

Tuchel’s comments on Friday were cautious. He said England might “take our five minutes” to explain the protocol to players, given what had happened in the past. He added that his team would respond “on the pitch” if anything happened.

By Saturday’s pre-match news conference, the England head coach seemed keen to calm things down. “I never talk about racism in Spain,” he said. He explained that he had answered a hypothetical question about what England would do, and pointed out that a protocol exists for exactly that situation.

Tuchel said he expected a friendly atmosphere, with the crowd naturally behind Spain. He hoped football would “bring people together and not divide people.”

Why the question was asked

The question was not random. Sunday’s game will be England’s first in the Spanish capital since November 2004. A friendly at the Bernabeu that night is still remembered for monkey chants aimed at England’s black players.

The issue has come up again more recently. Last month the Spanish Football Federation was fined and told to shut part of a stadium after fans aimed Islamophobic and xenophobic chants at Muslims during Spain’s match against Egypt in Barcelona.

In La Liga, Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr has become one of football’s loudest voices against racism after being targeted repeatedly by fans. In 2024, three Valencia supporters received eight-month prison sentences for racially abusing the Brazilian during a match. It was a landmark case in Spain.

Uefa’s protocol gives referees three steps: pause the game, take the teams off the pitch, and finally abandon the match if the abuse continues.

Rice: ‘It’s shocking we still have it’

England midfielder Declan Rice spoke from experience. He said he had faced racist abuse in Montenegro and Bulgaria, and on those occasions England followed the protocol and left the pitch.

“The times we are in now, 2026, there should never be racism in football,” Rice said. “It’s shocking we still have it in the game today.” He added that any abuse of a player from either side would be “a horrible mark on football.”

The football: top spot on the line

Beyond the row, there is plenty at stake on the pitch. Sunday’s match decides who finishes first in League A Group 3.

Spain come into it as world champions after winning the World Cup in the summer, and they also beat England in the Euro 2024 final. England took third place at the World Cup, having gone out to Argentina in the last four.

De la Fuente said both nations are now at the top of world football. However, he argued that neither could simply copy the other’s style. “I prefer the Spanish model,” he said, adding that England’s approach was “very good, but you have to have that type of player.”

He also said opponents are now “much more aggressive” against Spain because of their success. In a dig at the Premier League’s spending, he claimed Spanish players were “very cheap” compared with English ones, and in his view better.

On Lamine Yamal, who arrived late to the squad after a knee problem that dominated the build-up earlier in the week, De la Fuente gave little away. “We will see if he is a starter, but if he comes out, it’s because he’s fit to play,” he said. That followed his angry response to suggestions the Barcelona forward was getting special treatment, which he dismissed as “lies”.

Spain and England kick off in Madrid on Sunday, November 15.

Sources: BBC Sport (November 14, 2026).