Spain’s captain Alvaro Morata and teammate Rodri have received a one-match ban from Uefa for chanting “Gibraltar is Spanish” during their Euro 2024 celebration festivities.
The Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) lodged an official complaint regarding the celebrations with the governing body of European football before charges were brought against the duo.
Uefa has since suspended Morata and Rodri “for failing to adhere to the general principles of conduct, breaching the fundamental rules of proper behavior, leveraging sporting events for non-sporting demonstrations, and discrediting the sport of football, particularly Uefa itself”.
They will miss Spain’s upcoming match, set against Serbia on Thursday, September 5.
Gibraltar is a territory located at the southern tip of Spain that has been under British control since the 18th century, and Spain has historically sought its reclamation.
The chanting occurred in front of a crowd of tens of thousands of Spanish supporters in Cibeles Square, Madrid, on July 15, as players celebrated their 2-1 Euro 2024 final victory over England.
Rodri, 28, was seen leading the chant “Gibraltar is Spanish” from the stage, while 31-year-old Morata encouraged the crowd to join in on the chant shortly after.
The Gibraltar FA expressed their concerns, describing the celebrations as “extremely provocative and insulting” in relation to the Spanish men’s national team’s Euro 2024 victory.
The statement emphasized, “Football has no room for such behavior.”
Gibraltar has been a full member of Uefa since 2013.
