Euro winners Spain chant ‘Gibraltar is Spanish’ at Madrid parade

Gamers from Spain’s successful males’s Euro 2024 soccer crew have led crowds in chants of “Gibraltar is Spanish” at their victory celebrations within the capital Madrid.

Midfielder Rodri, who additionally performs for English membership Manchester Metropolis, was amongst these chanting.

Gibraltar’s Soccer Affiliation made an official grievance concerning the celebrations to European soccer physique Uefa, describing them as “extraordinarily provocative and insulting”.

Gibraltar is an enclave at Spain’s southern tip that has been underneath British rule because the 18th Century, however Spain has lengthy referred to as for its return.

The chanting got here as tens of 1000’s of Spanish followers gathered in central Madrid on Monday to greet the gamers after their 2-1 victory over England in Sunday’s ultimate match.

Waving flags and wearing Spain’s conventional crimson and yellow strip, the followers cheered because the gamers made an open-top bus tour by means of the streets of the town.

The parade resulted in Cibeles sq., the place the European Championship trophy was offered.

Rodri, whose full identify is Rodrigo Hernandez, was seen chanting “Gibraltar is Spanish” together with right-winger Lamine Yamal as they received on the stage in entrance of the crowds.

The crew’s captain Alvaro Morata later led the crowds with the identical chant.

The Gibraltar FA on Tuesday complained concerning the crew’s behaviour, saying in an announcement it had “famous the extraordinarily provocative and insulting nature of the celebrations across the Spanish Males’s nationwide crew successful Euro 2024”.

“Soccer has no place for behaviour of this nature,” the assertion added.

Gibraltar is presently a British Abroad Territory with a inhabitants of simply over 34,000.

It was ceded to Britain by Spain in perpetuity on the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 and have become an necessary naval base.

Its folks have twice backed British rule in referendums however Spain has maintained a declare on the territory.

There have been disagreements on police the border since Gibraltar left the European Union with Brexit.

Gibraltar has been a full member of Uefa since 2013 and fielded its personal crew in Euro 2024.

It completed backside of qualifying Group B with 0 factors – its losses together with a 14-0 away defeat to France, the previous champions’ largest ever win.