England manager Thomas Tuchel will brief his squad on UEFA anti-racism protocols ahead of Sunday’s Nations League fixture against Spain in Madrid.
Madrid Return Following 2004 Bernabeu Abuse
Sunday’s match at the Metropolitano Stadium marks England’s first appearance in the Spanish capital since a notorious November 2004 game at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu. During that fixture, black England players including Ashley Cole, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Rio Ferdinand faced repeated racist abuse and monkey chants from sections of the 60,000-strong crowd.
Rio Ferdinand, Jermaine Jenas, and Jermain Defoe were also targeted during Spain’s 1-0 victory. The Santiago Bernabéu match prompted widespread condemnation from then-Prime Minister Tony Blair and Spanish counterpart José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, while the Spanish federation received a £44,750 fine from governing bodies.
Following the 2004 controversy, The Football Association declined to play in Madrid for its next scheduled visit in 2009, moving the fixture to Seville instead. Subsequent matches took place in Alicante in 2015 and Seville in 2018 without incident. Before this weekend’s clash at Atlético Madrid’s home ground, Tuchel intends to ensure his players are fully prepared for any potential recurrence.
“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].” “It’s important that the players know about the protocol. And then, yeah, we will give our answers if stuff like this happens. Best answers are on the pitch.”
Thomas Tuchel
UEFA Three-Step Discrimination Procedure
European governing body UEFA mandates a three-step protocol designed to empower referees when handling discriminatory incidents inside stadiums. Under the procedure, referees first pause the match and request an announcement over the public address system. If the discriminatory behavior persists, officials can suspend the game for five to 10 minutes and direct both teams off the field.
If issues continue after the second stoppage, then the game can be abandoned. England’s head coach will go through UEFA’s anti-racism procedure with the players ahead of Sunday’s Nations League game against Spain at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano, with kick-off scheduled for 7.45pm GMT.
“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 said.
“I think it's unacceptable. In any stadium, not even in stadiums, we will never accept racism. We will never be racist towards anyone,” England manager Thomas Tuchel said.
Last month, the Spanish Football Federation was fined and ordered to hold its next friendly match with a partial stadium closure after supporters sang “Islamophobic and xenophobic” chants about Muslims during a game against Egypt.
Nations League Group Standings
Beyond the historical context, Sunday’s match carries significant tournament weight as England trail Spain by three points in their Nations League group. A victory in Madrid would secure first place for England and a more favourable quarter-final draw. At the same time, the reigning world champions Spain are unbeaten in 43 matches and defeated England 3:2 at Wembley in September.
