De la Fuente adamant there is no racism in Spain despite England reminder to players

England’s first game in Madrid since racist abuse in 2004
De la Fuente tells Tuchel ‘we’re not racists, none of us’

Luis de la Fuente has told Thomas Tuchel there is no racism in Spain after the England coach’s admission that he would remind his players of the anti-racism protocol prior to their meeting at the Metropolitano on Sunday night.

This will be the first time the countries play each other in Madrid since some of England’s black players were subjected to racist abuse in a match at the Santiago Bernabéu in 2004. And although England have returned to Spain three times without incident since then, twice in Seville and once in Alicante, Tuchel was asked about going back in the buildup to Sunday’s game. The England coach replied that England “will not expect anything [untoward]” but also said: “maybe we take our five minutes to inform the players about the protocol if there is a precedent [in Madrid].”