UEFA confirms investigation into Spanish players over Gibraltar chant

UEFA has confirmed it will appoint an inspector to “evaluate a potential violation” of its disciplinary regulations by two Spanish national players who led chants of “Gibraltar es español” during celebrations in Madrid following Spain’s Euro 2024 win against England.

The decision comes after the Gibraltar FA called on UEFA to take “swift and effective action” against what it described as “deeply offensive” and “highly inflammatory” conduct by the Spanish players.

In a letter to UEFA on Thursday, GFA president Michael Llamas and General Secretary Ivan Robba said the chants led by Rodri and team captain Alvaro Morata had caused “anger, dismay and disappointment” in Gibraltar and brought European football "into disrepute".

On Friday, a spokesperson for UEFA told the Chronicle in an emailed response to questions that it would look into the complaint and decide what action if any to take.

“An UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector is being appointed to evaluate a potential violation of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations by the players Mr Rodrigo Hernández Cascante and Mr Álvaro Morata in the context of conduct that occurred during the public presentation of the 2024 UEFA European Championship trophy in Madrid on 15 July 2024,” the UEFA spokesperson said.

“Further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course.”

In the letter, Mr Llamas and Mr Robba said the events in Madrid on Monday had been widely circulated across the globe and had led to repercussions on the ground, including emails and phone calls to the GFA “of a harassing nature”.

On Thursday night, visiting fans from Ireland supporting Shelbourne in their UEFA Conference League match against St Joseph’s chanted “Gibraltar español” during the match.

There were also reports on Thursday of at least one violent incident at the La Linea fair in which two young people from Gibraltar were assaulted by a group shouting “Gibraltar español”.

In its letter to UEFA, the GFA said the conduct of the Spanish players was “unlawful” and in breach of UEFA’s disciplinary regulations, which apply during every match and competition organised by UEFA, but also to the conduct of members of a national team during official celebrations following a victory in a UEFA competition.

“In each case, the player’s conduct is not only not in the spirit of sportsmanship, indecent and insulting, but is actively discriminatory on political grounds and/or the grounds of national or ethnic origins,” the letter said.

The GFA said the players’ conduct was “unprovoked but also extremely provocative and insulting”, and “quite obviously brings the game of football into disrepute.”

“There is clearly no place in football for behaviour of this nature,” Mr Llamas and Mr Robba said in the letter to UEFA.

“We trust that UEFA will take swift and effective action commensurate with the seriousness of the conduct in question.”

On Friday, the GFA weclomed the statement from UEFA confirming the appointment of an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate the matter.

"In this regard, the Gibraltar FA confirms that it submitted further evidence to UEFA yesterday in relation to the appalling and unacceptable behaviour of Shelbourne FC supporters at Europa Point Stadium and around Gibraltar," a GFA spokesperson said.