Gibraltar has accused Spanish players of making “rancid” and “hugely offensive” statements while celebrating their Euro 2024 win over England.
Manchester City star Rodri sang “Gibraltar is Spanish” as he took the mic in front of thousands of fans in Madrid on Monday night.
Gibraltar has been a British Overseas Territory since 1713, but many in Spain believe it should be returned and it remains a delicate diplomatic topic.
Rodri’s on-stage antics happened as he and the other players partied in front of supporters a day after their 2-1 win over the Three Lions.
The football association of Gibraltar said it had “noted the extremely provocative and insulting nature of the celebrations” and would make an official complaint to UEFA.
A statement from the territory’s government claimed “several” Spanish players had chanted “rancid remarks about Gibraltar”.
“This is a totally unnecessary mixing of sporting success with discriminatory political statements that are hugely offensive to Gibraltarians,” it added.
Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s chief minister, was equally scathing in a post on X – which he signed off: “The Rock is OURS”.
“Mixing a sporting victory and the chant that glorifies the dictatorial politics of a mass murderer like Franco and his fascist regime’s attempt to usurp a neighbouring territory, that is also a UEFA nation, is worse than disgusting.”
“This cannot stand unchallenged,” he added.
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Rodri – who was named player of the tournament – and the Spanish football association have yet to comment.
The remarks come as the UK and Spain are still trying to finalise a post-Brexit deal for Gibraltar, which wasn’t covered by the agreement struck with the EU in 2020.
