UEFA has charged Spain’s captain Alvaro Morata and midfielder Rodri for violating its conduct rules after singing about Gibraltar during their Euro 2024 victory celebration. The charges include “bringing the sport of football, and UEFA in particular, into disrepute.”
The incident occurred when Morata and Rodri led fans in singing “Gibraltar is Spanish” during a celebration in Madrid following Spain’s 2-1 win against England in the Euro 2024 final. Gibraltar, located on the southern tip of Spain, has been a British overseas territory for more than 300 years.
The Gibraltar Football Association lodged a formal complaint with UEFA, and has expressed satisfaction with the disciplinary proceedings. The federation stated, “This is an important first step in order to establish the unlawfulness of the chant on the basis of the grounds put forward by the Gibraltar FA in its complaint.”
UEFA announced that its disciplinary body will decide on the case at a later date. The players could face suspensions from the Nations League matches scheduled for September.
Previously, UEFA banned Albanian player Mirlind Daku for two games at Euro 2024 in Germany after leading fans in nationalist chants against Serbia and North Macedonia.
In related news, Alvaro Morata recently transferred from Atletico Madrid to AC Milan, while Rodri, who was named player of the tournament at Euro 2024, continues to play for Manchester City.
