Manchester City star Rodri and his teammate and Spain captain Alvaro Morata have been banned by UEFA for singing “Gibraltar is Spanish” while celebrating their Euro 2024 victory.
The 28-year-old Premier League midfielder chanted the slogan after taking the microphone at a victory event in Madrid on July 15, a day after England won the final 2-1 in Berlin.
When Morata, 31, reminded him that he played for an English club, Rodri, the player of the tournament in Germany, said: “I don’t care. “
UEFA’s control, ethics and disciplinary body said in a statement that the two men had violated basic rules of intelligent conduct, had used a playing opportunity for purposes unrelated to the game and had brought the game into disrepute. UEFA in particular. “
The Gibraltar Football Association has described Rodri and Morata’s moves as “deeply offensive”, prompting UEFA to appoint an ethics and disciplinary inspector to assess their moves.
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory that has long been claimed through Spain.
After the celebrations, a government official in the territory stated that “several” Spanish players had chanted “rancid comments about Gibraltar. “
“This is an absolute combination of sporting successes and discriminatory political statements that are incredibly offensive to Gibraltarians,” the text adds.
Fabian Picardo, the leading minister of Gibraltar, was equally scathing in a message in X, which he signed: “The Rock is OURS. “
The Gibraltar FA said it was “pleased” that UEFA had “recognised the seriousness of this incident” and acted accordingly.
“This resolution sends a transparent message that football will have to remain a platform for the promotion of peace, understanding and fair play, free of divisive acts and offensive chants,” the framework added.
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Spain’s next match will be the Nations League opener against Serbia on September 5. Both Rodri and Morata will be suspended for this match.
Rodri went into the break with a draw in the Euro 2024 final against England in Berlin, but his team continued to beat him 2-1, with the winning goal in the 86th minute.