De la Fuente denies racism in Spain despite Yamal, Vinicius avowals
Spanish national team head coach Luis de la Fuente has claimed Spain does not have a racism problem, weeks after FIFA punished the country over Islamophobic chants and star player Lamine Yamal admitted experiencing racism.
The 65-year-old coach made the assertion while addressing media before Spain's UEFA Nations League match against England, responding to questions about his counterpart Thomas Tuchel's plans to brief players on antiracism protocols. "In Spain, there is no racism," de la Fuente stated. "You can tell this to Thomas. As clear as that. There is no racism. Exactly the same as in England, in Spain, there is no racism. We're not racists, none of us."
The world champions will play their next home friendly with reduced capacity as punishment for supporters singing an Islamophobic chant during a March match against Egypt. The chant "Whoever doesn't jump is Muslim" was heard during the fixture, while Egypt's national anthem was whistled.
Player testimonies
Several high-profile players have reported experiencing racism in Spain. Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, whose father moved from Morocco to Spain, said he has faced racism "a thousand times" in comments that many people don't realize are racist.
Yamal, a Muslim, condemned the anti-Muslim chants during the Egypt match, posting on Instagram: I am a Muslim. Yesterday at the stadium the chant 'the one who doesn't jump is the Muslim' was heard... as a Muslim person it doesn't stop being disrespectful and something intolerable.
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