Rodri and Alvaro Morata banned after “provocative and insulting” chants

Two members of Spain’s victorious European Championship-winning squad have been banned by UEFA for their part in the post-tournament celebrations. Team captain Alvaro Morata and Manchester City star Rodri have been hit with a one-match suspension for chanting ‘Gibraltar is Spanish’ on stage in Madrid, encouraging the crowd to do the same.

Gibraltar is a small British Overseas Territory located on the Southern tip of Spain. The territory has previously been a point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations and UEFA has opted to view the chant as a political message.

The Gibraltar FA lodged a complaint with UEFA, noting “the extremely provocative and insulting nature of the celebrations around the Spanish men’s national team winning Euro 2024″. Gibraltar is a full member of UEFA and European soccer’s governing body has moved to respond.

A statement from UEFA confirming the punishment reads that Rodri and Morata have been suspended for “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”.

Will Rodri and Morata be forced to miss the first club games of the 2024/25 season? No. The suspension will be applied to the next international fixture for the Spanish national team, a meeting with Serbia on Thursday, September 5.