Gibraltar authorities responded quickly to the cheers of Spain’s footballers as they celebrated their Euro 2024 final win against England at a welcome party in Madrid.
Several players, including Álvaro Morata and Rodrigo Hernández, shouted “Gibraltar es español” repeatedly, and the Cibeles crowd chanted back.
But the story has not gone down well on the cliff. “The government of Gibraltar is disappointed that some players on the Spanish national football team celebrated their victory in the European Championship by chanting harsh comments about Gibraltar,” he said in a statement.
“This is an unnecessary mix of what has been a great sporting success with discriminatory political statements that are very offensive to Gibraltar”, he said.
It is unfortunate to do so during a celebration
They believe that “the unfortunate use of the EC victory celebration to promote the idea of the use of Gibraltar’s territory is contrary to the principle that sport should not be used to promote controversial political ideologies”.
It was the captain of the national team, Álvaro Morata, who first started the chant, and shortly afterwards it was Rodri, the Manchester City player, who continued the chant. “You are playing in England, my friend”, Morata said to Rodri, who made no secret of it. “I don’t care”, he replied after the euphoria that characterized all of De La Fuente’s men in the Spanish capital after the historic victory in Berlin on Sunday night.