Alvaro Morata and Rodri suspended for chanting ‘Gibraltar is Spanish’ during Euro 2024 celebrations

Spain captain Alvaro Morata and team-mate Rodri have been banned for one match by UEFA after chanting “Gibraltar is Spanish” during celebrations of their team’s Euro 2024 victory.

The Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) lodged a formal complaint with European football’s governing body about the celebrations before the two men were charged.

UEFA suspended Morata and Rodri “for failure to respect the general principles of conduct, for breaching the basic rules of good conduct, for using sporting events for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing football, and UEFA in particular, into disrepute”.

They are suspended for Spain’s next match, against Serbia, on Thursday, September 5.

Gibraltar is an enclave at the southern tip of Spain, under British rule since the 18th century, and Spain has long demanded its return.

The chants took place in front of tens of thousands of Spanish fans in Cibeles Square in Madrid on July 15 as the players celebrated their 2-1 Euro 2024 final victory over England.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri, 28, could be seen chanting “Gibraltar is Spanish” on stage, and AC Milan striker Morata, 31, later encouraged the crowd to join in the same chant.

The Gibraltar Football Association complained about Spain’s behaviour, saying it had “noted the extremely provocative and insulting nature of the celebrations surrounding the Spanish men’s national team’s victory at Euro 2024”.

“Football has no place for behaviour of this nature,” he added.

Gibraltar has been a full member of UEFA since 2013.