Spain manager, Luis de la Fuente, has launched an attack on Spanish football fans after fan controversy marred his side's 3-3 draw with Brazil on Tuesday night. The match itself was a thriller and fans inside the Santiago Bernabeu were treated to six goals from some of the best players in the world, however, one man was targeted by the home support due to his club allegiances.
Alvaro Morata, who now plays for Atletico Madrid after coming through the ranks at Real Madrid, isn't someone who the Bernabeu crowd have a lot of time for. Throughout the match, Morata was whistled and booed by supporters in the Bernabeu and at the end of the match, the 31-year-old snapped back causing a commotion on the sidelines.
Vincius Jr, who was watching on from the Brazil dugout, took exception to Morata remonstrating with the Bernabeu crowd. The Real Madrid winger was clapped throughout the evening, as was 17-year-old Endrick who is set to join the Spanish giants in the Summer of 2024.
After a bit of pushing and shoving on the sidelines, the players eventually made their way down the tunnel but Morata, who is the national team captain, was clearly annoyed and upset at the actions of the Bernabeu crowd. He wasn't the only one, with manager, Luis de la Fuente speaking out on the crowd in his post-match press conference.
Morata was shouting at the Santiago Bernabéu fans and Vinícius Jr went to say something to defend his fans, this is what really happened, the spanish media won’t show you this.@vinijr Idolo! 👏🏽🤍
— RMFC (@TeamRMFC) March 27, 2024
Spain manager De la Fuente: fans ‘hurt my soul'
Talking to reporters in the press room at the Bernabeu, De La Fuente said:
“It hurts my soul, that in my country, they whistle at the captain of the national team and when I hear those whistles, I feel pain. In the end, there are always people who are in the minority that stand out. The Bernabeu was enormous, but as a Spaniard, I feel ashamed when a player from Spain is whistled.
But the vast majority have supported Spain. It is everyone’s job to educate in support of the national team. Here we have to leave aside the colours of the clubs, and that is a job for the press. Let’s see if we can all solve this.”
The latest incident isn't a one-off in terms of Spanish players being whistled by their home supporters. Gerard Pique was frequently on the receiving end of them due to his pro-Catalonia beliefs while Gavi has also been whistled in recent years for his Barcelona allegiances.
There have long been calls for Spain to have a national stadium and playing matches in a new ‘neutral' ground would perhaps reduce the chances of club tribalism getting in the way of fans cheering on the national team.