Spain and England meet tonight in Nations League; coaches' clash over racism stirs up match ahead of kickoff

In depth

The national teams of Spain and England will meet tonight in Madrid in a decisive Nations League match, scheduled for Sunday at 21:45 and broadcast on Sport 4. Before kickoff, a media clash developed between coaches Luis de la Fuente and Thomas Tuchel over the issue of racism in Spanish football.

The storm began when Tuchel was asked on Friday about racism in Spanish football. De la Fuente claimed there is no racism in Spain, while Tuchel told reporters they had created confusion over nothing, and accused the media of trying to manufacture an artificial controversy.

In the background, past events echo, including the penalty the Spanish federation received following discriminatory chants in the stands. Ahead of the match, Rice also spoke, saying that at this level one must be at one hundred percent for 90 minutes, and de la Fuente said that Lamine Yamal feels excellent and has fully recovered.