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Tuchel reminds England stars over ant-racism message ahead of Spain showdown

England boss Thomas Tuchel.
England boss Thomas Tuchel.Profimedia

England boss Thomas Tuchel will remind England's players of UEFA's anti-racism protocols ahead of Nations League clash against Spain on November 15.

The match is England's first in Madrid since a notorious fixture at Real Madrid's Estadio Bernabeu in 2004 which was overshadowed by racist chanting aimed at England players.

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The Spanish federation was also fined last month, and ordered to play their next friendly match with a partial stadium closure, after fans sang "Islamophobic and xenophobic" chants about Muslims in a friendly game against Egypt.

Ahead of a high-stakes match, Tuchel has insisted the message stays the same for his squad.

"We had a same discussion before the Serbia game last year. There's a protocol in place.

"It's important the players know about the protocol. We will give our answers if stuff like this happens. Best answers are on the pitch."

UEFA has a three-step protocol to handle incidents of discrimination inside stadiums, designed to give referees the power to halt matches, and even abandon games if racist behaviour continues.

In the first instance, referees will pause the match and request an announcement over the public address tannoy.

Then, if any discrimination continues, officials can stop the game for five to 10 minutes and take the players from the field.

If issues continue after the second stoppage, then the game can be abandoned.

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