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De la Fuente denies racism in Spain despite Yamal, Vinicius avowals
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has said Spain has no racism problem, despite recent racist incidents involving Spanish supporters and accounts from players Lamine Yamal and Vinicius Jr. His comments came before Spain’s Nations League match against England, after England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would remind his players about anti-racism procedures.
FIFA has ordered Spain to reduce capacity at its next home friendly after supporters directed an Islamophobic chant at Egypt during a match in March. Yamal has said he has experienced racism “a thousand times”; England midfielder Declan Rice said his team knows how to respond if abuse occurs, though he does not expect it at the Madrid match.
In short
- De la Fuente says Spain has no racism problem.
- FIFA punished Spain over Islamophobic chants by supporters.
- Yamal and Vinicius have spoken about racist abuse.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
De la Fuente may be distinguishing individual racist abuse from a society-wide or systemic problem, and arguing that Spain should not be defined by the conduct of some supporters. Acknowledging incidents and taking action against them can coexist with pride in the national team and confidence that most fans reject racism.
The case against
That distinction risks minimising the problem when racist incidents have occurred and players such as Yamal describe repeated personal experiences. Saying Spain has no racism problem may make those affected feel unheard and weaken pressure to address abuse, even if the manager intends to defend the country rather than excuse offenders.