Spain stars investigated by UEFA following what they did after Euros final against England
A pair of Spain players could face repercussions for their actions immediately following the Euro 2024 final.
Spain may have won the Euros, following their 2-1 victory in the final of the tournament over England - but for two of their players, celebrations have been cut short.
Rodri and Alvaro Morata are currently under investigation from UEFA, following their actions after the game during the celebrations. The two Spaniards reportedly took part in a nationalistic chant, with lyrics to the effect of ‘Gibraltar is Spanish’.
As such, they have been charged with accusations of ‘general principles of conduct, violating the basic rules of decent conduct, using sporting events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature, and bringing the sport of football, and UEFA in particular, into disrepute’.
The chant itself is politically motivated. Gibraltar is currently under British control, having been so since the latter half of the 18th century - many audiences in Spain wish for it to return to their hands.
Rodri currently plays for Manchester City, having signed for the Sky Blues back in 2019. Morata is signed to AC Milan, but has previously played in the Premier League for Chelsea. They played together for a brief period at Atletico Madrid in 2019, just before Rodri made the jump to the Etihad Stadium for a fee of £62.6 million.
In response to the ruling, the Gibraltar FA posted a statement on their official website, which reads: “The Gibraltar FA welcomes the announcement today that UEFA has decided to open formal disciplinary proceedings against Rodri and Álvaro Morata further to the complaint filed by the Gibraltar FA with UEFA.
“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. The Gibraltar FA now awaits the decision of the UEFA Control Ethics and Disciplinary Body when the matter is heard.”