The Gibraltar Football Association (FA) have revealed they will make an official complaint to UEFA following Manchester City star Rodri and Spain’s Euro 2024 celebrations.
La Roja claimed a record-breaking fourth European Championships crown on Sunday after beating England 2-1 in Berlin’s Olympiastadion. Rodri was brought off at half-time, with the score at 0-0, after picking up an injury as Mikel Oyarzabal scored a late winner.
The final looked to be going to extra-time after Cole Palmer cancelled out Nico Williams’ opener, early in the second half, however Luis de la Fuerte’s men regrouped to hand England a second successive final defeat in the tournament. Spain’s celebrations made it back to Madrid on Monday night as they earned a heroes welcome.
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The 28-year-old Rodri, who won Player of the Tournament, was captured orchestrating a chant which translated to: “It’s Spanish, Gibraltar is Spanish.”
But the song has been slammed by the Gibraltar FA who have criticised the “extremely provocative and insulting nature” of celebrations in the Spanish capital on Monday.
“The Gibraltar FA to make official complaint to UEFA following Spanish Men’s National Team Euro 2024 celebrations. The Gibraltar FA has noted the extremely provocative and insulting nature of the celebrations around the Spanish Men’s national team winning Euro 2024,” the statement read.
“The Association is this morning taking advice on the filing of a complaint to European Football’s governing body, UEFA, in relation to the unacceptable chanting and songs, relating to Gibraltar, sung by Spain’s Men’s National Team players after winning Euro 2024. Football has no place for behaviour of this nature.”
Gibraltar is an enclave in the south of Spain but has been under British rule since 1713, but Spain continues to claim sovereignty of the territory. The country has been a full member of UEFA since 2013 and has competed in previous World Cup and European Championships qualification campaigns.