Date:14/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/14/stories/2008101456042200.htm

Sport - Football

England refuses to play in Madrid

LONDON: England’s Football Association has vetoed Madrid as a possible venue for a proposed friendly against Spain because of the racist abuse the team had experienced last time it played in the country’s capital.

The Spanish federation was fined 100,000 Swiss francs ($77,665; euro65,003) when Shaun Wright-Phillips, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Jermain Defoe and Jermaine Jenas were racially abused at during a friendly at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in November 2004.

Spain won that match 1-0 and the teams have not played in Spain since.

“The FA were clear from the outset that we would not play the game in Madrid due to racial abuse we faced in 2004,” FA director of communications Adrian Bevington said on Monday. “This fixture is one of the friendly games that Fabio Capello requested to play, but, as yet, a venue is still to be confirmed and the contract still to be signed.”

Luis Aragones, who stepped down as Spain coach after leading the team to the European championship title in June, was fined in 2006 for making racist remarks about France’s Thierry Henry — who then played for Premier League team Arsenal. “It’d be nice to take the European champion on, but I think it’s the right idea to have it in another stadium,” Steven Gerrard said. — AP