The Gibraltar government has criticised the “rancid remarks” members of Spain’s Euro 2024-winning side made at a victory rally in central Madrid on Monday night. The territory’s football association is to make a formal complaint to Uefa over the matter.
The controversy, which follows Spain’s 2-1 victory against England in the final on Sunday, erupted after the Spain captain, Álvaro Morata, and the midfielder Rodri chanted “Gibraltar es español” [“Gibraltar is Spanish”] while on stage in front of a massive crowd in the Spanish capital’s Plaza de Cibeles.
When Morata reminded Rodri that he played for an English side, Manchester City, the latter replied: “I don’t care.”
The behaviour elicited a swift and angry response from the government of Gibraltar, which lies at the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula and has been in British hands since 1713. “His Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar is disappointed to note that several players of the Spanish male national football team celebrated their European Cup win with chants of rancid remarks about Gibraltar.
“This is a totally unnecessary mixing of a great sporting success with discriminatory political statements that are hugely offensive to Gibraltarians. The lamentable use of the platform of celebrations around winning the Eurocup for advancing the idea of usurping the territory of Gibraltar is contrary to the principle that sport should not be used to advance any politically controversial ideology.”
The Gibraltar FA described the chants as “extremely provocative and insulting” and said it would be making an official complaint to Uefa. It said: “Football has no place for behaviour of this nature.”
But tThe player’s actions were endorsed by some conservative and far-right politicians. “The players didn’t say anything that most Spaniards don’t believe,” Madrid’s conservative mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, told Telecinco on Tuesday. Javier Ortega-Smith, a senior member of the far-right Vox party, retweeted a video of the chant, adding: “Sí.”
The chants were not the only controversial element of the celebrations on Monday. When the team were received by Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid earlier in the evening, the Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal is said to have made a point by looking away from the PM as he briefly shook his hand.
The move was applauded on far‑right social media accounts. One commentator said Carvajal was “a champ” for blanking Sánchez, adding: “Being a good Spaniard is incompatible with supporting a traitor to Spain.”
