Tuchel to brief England on anti-racism protocol before Spain match

England manager Thomas Tuchel says he will remind his players of Uefa’s anti-racism protocols before Sunday’s Nations League match against Spain in Madrid, where England will play in the Spanish capital for the first time since a 2004 friendly marred by racist chanting at England players.

Tuchel said England had discussed the protocol before their match in Serbia in September 2025. “It’s important that the players know about the protocol,” he said, adding that the team would brief them if there was a precedent in Madrid.

Uefa’s three-step procedure allows the referee to pause a match and request an announcement over the public-address system. If discriminatory behaviour continues, officials can stop the game for five to 10 minutes and take players off the pitch. A further stoppage can be followed by abandonment.

Spain’s football federation was fined last month and ordered to stage its next friendly with a partial stadium closure after fans directed what authorities described as “Islamophobic and xenophobic” chants about Muslims at Egypt during a match.

Sunday’s game will be played at Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium. England are three points behind Spain at the top of their Nations League group; a victory would secure the group for England and bring a more favourable quarter-final draw. Spain have gone 43 matches unbeaten, including a 3-2 win over England at Wembley in September.

Tuchel said England would seek to attack Spain and impose their physical strength. He said his side were ready to win, while acknowledging that it would take a top performance against the world champions.