Spain Coach Luis de la Fuente Denies Racism Despite Claims from Lamine Yamal and Vinicius Jr

Spain's head coach, Luis de la Fuente, has claimed that Spain does not have a racism problem, making these remarks ahead of a UEFA Nations League match against England in Madrid. This statement comes weeks after FIFA punished Spain over Islamophobic chants by supporters and after star player Lamine Yamal admitted to experiencing racism repeatedly within the country.

Addressing the media on Saturday, the 65-year-old De la Fuente dismissed concerns about racism, stating, "In Spain, there is no racism," in response to a question regarding England's Thomas Tuchel, who had mentioned discussing antiracism protocols with his players. De la Fuente added, "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."

Despite these claims, the world champions will face a reduced capacity for their next home friendly as punishment for Spanish supporters singing an Islamophobic chant during a match against Egypt in March. High-profile players like Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr have been targets of racist abuse in recent years. Vinicius Jr has previously expressed his distress in tearful news conferences.

England's Thomas Tuchel also clarified that his comments regarding antiracism protocols were not specifically about Spain, criticizing reporters for creating confusion. England midfielder Declan Rice expressed that the squad is prepared to respond if racism occurs, citing his own past experiences in Montenegro and Bulgaria, though he expressed respect for the city of Madrid and the Spanish team.

In September, Lamine Yamal stated he had experienced racism "a thousand times," noting that many people are indirectly racist without realizing it. Yamal, a Muslim whose father is from Morocco, specifically condemned the "Whoever doesn’t jump is Muslim" chants heard during the match against Egypt, calling such behavior "intolerable" and "ignorant."

Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr has also been a prominent target of abuse. In May 2023, he stated the Spanish league "now belongs to racists," following an incident where four men were arrested for hanging an effigy of him from a bridge in Madrid. Vinicius has praised Yamal for speaking out, emphasizing that players with a strong voice must stick together to fight discrimination, noting that while he doesn't label Spain, Germany, or Portugal as racist countries, racists exist in those nations as well as in Brazil.