England manager Thomas Tuchel will brief his players on UEFA’s anti-racism procedures prior to Sunday’s Nations League encounter against Spain in Madrid, BBC Sport reported. The upcoming match represents England’s first appearance in the Spanish capital since a 2004 international fixture at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium was marred by racist chants directed at English footballers.
UEFA Protocols and Recent Incidents
The precautionary measure comes shortly after disciplinary action against the Spanish Football Federation. Last month, the organization received a fine and an order to enforce a partial stadium closure for its next friendly fixture after supporters directed Islamophobic and xenophobic chants toward Muslims during a match against Egypt.
Tuchel pointed out that similar conversations took place prior to England’s match against Serbia in Belgrade in September 2025, confirming that the coaching staff would take time to inform the team of the necessary procedures given past occurrences in Madrid.
“We had a same discussion before the Serbia game [in Belgrade in September 2025],” Tuchel said. “There is a protocol in place.”
European football governing body UEFA enforces a three-stage protocol designed to handle discriminatory incidents inside venues, giving match officials the authority to halt or abandon fixtures if abuse occurs.
Under the first step, the referee pauses play and requests a public address announcement demanding an immediate stop to the discriminatory behavior. If the misconduct persists, officials can stop the game for five to ten minutes and direct the players to leave the pitch for the dressing rooms. Should the issues continue following the second stoppage, the match can be permanently abandoned.
“It’s important that the players know about the protocol,” Tuchel said. “And then, yeah, we will give our answers if stuff like this happens. Best answers are on the pitch.”
Nations League Group Decision at the Metropolitano
Sunday’s international fixture will take place at Atletico Madrid’s home venue, the Metropolitano. Securing a win would ensure England finish at the top of their Nations League group, earning a preferred position in the quarter-final draw. However, world champions Spain enter the contest on a 43-match unbeaten streak, which includes a 3-2 win against England at Wembley in September.
“It’s important that we play with the same mindset that we played at home, and attack them and try to make it a physical game, and try to impose our strength,” Tuchel said.
Tuchel acknowledged the challenge of facing an opponent with such an extended run of form while expressing confidence in his team’s capabilities ahead of the match.
“It [Spain] is a team that has forgotten how to lose, so it requires a top performance first of all, and if we can deliver this performance, it will give us a big boost,” Tuchel said. “I think we’re there, and I think we’re ready to win on Sunday,”
