"There is no racism in Spain": De La Fuente responds to Tuchel's warning before Spain-England

De La Fuente defended Spain's record ahead of Sunday's Nations League match against England, rejecting Tuchel's concerns about potential racist incidents at the Metropolitano.

Former Spain manager Luis de la Fuente responded to England counterpart Thomas Tuchel's pre-match warning about racism at the Metropolitano stadium on Sunday. "Tell Thomas there is no racism in Spain. In Spain, we are not racists, just as the English are not racists," de la Fuente said at a press conference Saturday.

Tuchel had flagged concerns about the atmosphere in Madrid ahead of the Nations League fixture, noting England would remind players of UEFA's three-stage protocol for handling racist incidents: a brief stoppage with a stadium announcement, a five-to-ten minute break with players returning to the dressing room if it continues, and match abandonment if the situation persists.

Spain's football federation was fined $20,000 and handed a partial stadium ban in October following racist and Islamophobic chanting during a friendly against Egypt in Barcelona in March. The incident prompted a FIFA investigation and a Catalan police inquiry.