Morata and Rodri Suspended for Chanting “Gibraltar is Spanish”

Spain captain Alvaro Morata and midfielder Rodri have been handed one-game bans by UEFA following their chant of “Gibraltar is Spanish” during celebrations of their Euro 2024 victory. The Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) lodged a formal complaint with UEFA, citing the chants as provocative and insulting.

The incident occurred on July 15th in Madrid’s Cibeles Square, where tens of thousands of fans gathered to celebrate Spain’s 2-1 win over England in the Euro 2024 final. Rodri, a 28-year-old Manchester City player, led the chant on stage, and AC Milan striker Morata, 31, encouraged the crowd to join in.

UEFA’s disciplinary body charged Morata and Rodri for “failing to comply with the general principles of conduct, for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sporting events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football, and UEFA in particular, into disrepute.” As a result, both players are suspended for Spain’s upcoming match against Serbia on Thursday, September 5th.

Gibraltar, a British territory at Spain’s southern tip since the 18th century, has been a longstanding point of contention between the UK and Spain. The GFA criticized the behavior, stating, “Football has no place for behavior of this nature,” and highlighted the chant’s provocative nature during the celebrations.