UEFA
It's official, the Spanish national team player
Rodriguez (name)
cap (a poem)
Morata (name)
will be banned from one national team game, the Sept. 5 UEFA Nations League match against Serbia.
The reason for this sanction was that Rodri and Morata failed to comply with the Code of Conduct and violated basic rules of good behavior by engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct that damaged the reputation of the game of soccer and UEFA.
The incident began when Rodriguez held a microphone and sang "Gibraltar is Spain's" during the homecoming celebrations after Spain won Euro 2024 with a 2-1 victory over England.
Gibraltar is Spanish.
". That act had caused Gibraltar to take strong exception.
The Gibraltar Football Association issued a statement on July 16th complaining to UEFA about the matter. Located at the southern tip of Spain, Gibraltar borders the Spanish province of Cadiz in Andalusia, which was ceded to Britain in 1713 and remains a British territory to this day. This historical context makes Rodri's comments sensitive and controversial.
UEFA investigated the incident and decided to impose a one-match ban on Rodri and Morata. The bans will leave Spain without two key players for the match against Serbia, and the team will need to fight for victory without them.
