Tuchel briefs England squad on walk-off protocol ahead of Madrid return scarred by 2004 racism

Thomas Tuchel has confirmed he will brief his England squad on UEFA’s anti-racism walk-off protocol before their Nations League fixture against Spain at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday — the first time England have played in Madrid since a deeply troubling night at the Bernabeu in November 2004.

Twenty-one years ago, Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips were subjected to repeated monkey chants from large sections of a 60,000-strong crowd during a friendly at Real Madrid’s ground. Both the British and Spanish prime ministers condemned the abuse at the time, yet the Spanish FA received a fine of only £44,750 for the racist chanting.

Tuchel acknowledged the historical backdrop and made clear the squad would not be caught unprepared. “I still think the protocol is in place and it’s important that the players know about the protocol,” he said. “And then yes, we will give our answers if stuff like this happens. The best answers are on the pitch. I think we had the same discussion before the Serbia game.”

That Serbia fixture in Belgrade in 2025 passed without incident, and England will be hoping Sunday’s match follows suit. The FA previously refused to return to Madrid for a 2009 friendly, choosing Seville instead, and subsequent England games in Spain — in Seville and Alicante — were trouble-free.

UEFA’s three-step protocol, which Tuchel referenced, begins with the referee pausing the match for a public-address announcement ordering the behaviour to stop. If abuse continues, the second step is to suspend the game and take both sets of players off the pitch. The third and final step is outright abandonment of the fixture.

The issue carries added weight given Spain’s recent record. Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has been subjected to more than 20 documented incidents of racist abuse across Spanish football in recent years, keeping the topic firmly in the public eye.

Tuchel was unequivocal about where England stand. “I think it’s unacceptable. In any stadium, not even in stadiums, we will never accept racism. We will never be racist towards anyone. That’s just not who we are,” he said. “I think the referee in the games and the officials know about that.”