Walter Finch
THE Spanish FA will appeal UEFA’s one match bans for national team players Alvaro Morata and Rodri Hernandez for leading chants of Gibraltar español during the Euro 2024 celebrations.
The ban, which currently prevents the players from participating in the upcoming Nations League match against Serbia, has sparked heated debate both within Spain.
The incident occurred during the celebrations in Madrid following Spain’s 2-1 triumph over England in the final.
As the players revelled in their victory, Morata and Rodri were seen and heard chanting ‘Gibraltar is Spanish,’ a statement that quickly drew the ire of the Gibraltar Football Association (GFA).
The GFA lodged a formal complaint with UEFA, condemning the chants as ‘extremely provocative and insulting.’
In response, UEFA’s Disciplinary Committee imposed a one-match ban on both players, citing a violation of the basic standards of decent conduct and the inappropriate use of a sporting event for non-sporting expressions.
The Spanish FA, however, is not backing down, having already initiated the appeal process in hopes of reducing the punishment to a mere reprimand or financial penalty.
