Luis De La Fuente and Thomas Tuchel Thrown Into Fiery Debate Over ‘Racism in Spain’
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente issued a passionate response to England boss Thomas Tuchel after the German said he’d “take our five minutes to inform the players” about the anti-racism protocol ahead of England’s UEFA Nations League trip to Spain.
England, set to play at the Metropolitano Stadium in the final match of the UEFA Nations League group stage, visits Madrid for the first time since 2004. It was during that international friendly at the Bernabéu that former Three Lions players Ashley Cole, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Rio Ferdinand, among others, were subjected to racist abuse. The Spanish soccer federation was subsequently fined for the incidents.
Tuchel’s comments came after he was asked how he and the team would react if they were victims of racist abuse during Sunday’s long-awaited return to Madrid.
De la Fuente was likewise asked about the subject on the eve of the clash with England and delivered a passionate response when asked if Tuchel’s statement somehow suggested that Spanish soccer still has plenty of work to do to fight racism.
“I could say the opposite,” De la Fuente said. “What I can tell you, and pass this along to Thomas [Tuchel], is that there is no racism in Spain. Plain and simple, there’s no racism. Exactly the same as in England, in Spain there is no racism. None of us are racists.”
Tuchel Says His Words Were ‘Twisted’ on Topic of Racism in Spain
De la Fuente’s fiery response seemed to lack the full context of Tuchel’s initial comments, which the England manager subsequently addressed, visibly angered by the way he words were “twisted.”
“I was polite enough to answer a question from your colleagues,” Tuchel said Saturday. “And you run and ask the other coach and tell him that I talked about racism in Spain. It’s a perfect example of how it works, because I never talked about racism in Spain.
“I answered politely a question about what happens, I never expect racism, and the dressing room is the most anti-racist place on earth. And that’s exactly how it works, you create a lot of confusion for absolutely nothing. It’s a perfect example of how it should not work.”
“It got twisted,” Tuchel added. “Because I said I always expect a friendly atmosphere, and I always expect, now if we play away, I expect emotional and of course supporting fans from Spain for their national team. That’s what I expect.
“But I don’t expect racism nowhere, and I’m shocked if it happens, and it should happen nowhere. I’m the first one to stand up to these kind of values. Then I got asked ‘what will happen if,’ and I said if it happens, there’s a protocol in place. That’s it.
“But my trust is that we have a friendly atmosphere, that we have an atmosphere who is clearly in favor of the Spanish team, and that football does what it does best: bring people together and not divide people. That’s 100% clear.”
De la Fuente Ignores Recent Issues of Racism in Spanish Soccer
As much as it seems De la Fuente’s response to Tuchel comes from an apparent misunderstanding, the Spanish boss is also clearly ignoring the various acts of racism that have stained Spanish soccer in recent times.
Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior has been subject to racist abuse in multiple La Liga grounds, and he even went to court accusing Valencia fans of racially abusing him during a match at Mestalla Stadium in 2023.
Earlier in 2026, Spanish fans at Espanyol’s Stadium in Barcelona sung anti-Muslim chants in the stands during a friendly match against Egypt. Spain star Lamine Yamal—who is Muslim—later denounced the “ignorant and racist” chants.
Spain’s federation was fined €20,000 ($22,000), and La Roja was forced to play in a partially closed stadium during its first match of the September–October international window as punishment.
