Spain’s Alvaro Morata and Rodri have been given a one-match ban by UEFA for misconduct after they were filmed making “Gibraltar is Spanish” chants during their Euro 2024 victory celebrations.
Spain defeated England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final and celebrated their victory in Madrid. During the victory parade, Spain’s captain Morata was seen chanting “It’s Spanish, Gibraltar is Spanish”, referring to the area at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, which is British territory.
The Gibraltar FA released a statement regarding the chants immediately and called for action to be taken.
"The Gibraltar FA has noted the extremely provocative and insulting nature of the celebrations around the Spanish Men's national team winning Euro 2024,” the statement read,
"The Association is this morning taking advice on the filing of a complaint to European Football's governing body, UEFA, in relation to the unacceptable chanting and songs, relating to Gibraltar, sung by Spain's Men's National Team players after winning Euro 2024.
"Football has no place for behaviour of this nature."
Now, the UEFA has confirmed a one-match ban on both the players.
A UEFA statement issued on Wednesday said the pair will serve a suspension for “failing to comply with the general principles of conduct, for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sporting events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football, and UEFA in particular, into disrepute”.
Gibraltar remains a matter of international controversy between Britain and Spain. While it is officially a British Overseas Territory and headland, it borders Spain's south coast at the tip of the Iberian Peninsula, and most locals speak a Spanish dialect called 'Llanito'.
Spain believes they have a right to claim the territory, but Gibraltarians rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in a 1967 referendum and for shared sovereignty in another referendum in 2002.
It remains a point of contention in diplomatic relations between Spain and the UK.
