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‘Gibraltar is Spanish!’: How Spain celebrated Euro 2024 heroes

Tens of thousands of people in Madrid welcomed Spain's champions home on Monday after beating England in the Euro 2024 final, with the standout chant during celebrations being "Gibraltar is Spanish".

Published: 16 July 2024 10:02 CEST
'Gibraltar is Spanish!': How Spain celebrated Euro 2024 heroes
Spanish national football team players celebrate on the stage at Cibeles Square, with Spain fans, on July 15, 2024, after Spain won the UEFA Euro 2024 final football match between Spain and England. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)

Spain’s national football team returned home on Monday afternoon, posing with the trophy on the runway where their plane landed. 

La Roja with the Euro 2024 trophy at Madrid’s Barajas airport. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)

They then had receptions with King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, with the general sense among commentators that the players seemed happier to meet the monarch than the premier. 

In fact, a video showing right-back Dani Carvajal not looking Sánchez in the eye as he gave him a very brief handshake has gone viral. The defender has been outspoken in the past about his right-wing views. 

“We want a lot,” Sánchez said. “We want more”.

La Roja were then paraded through the capital city on an open-top bus adorned with the message “it’s only the beginning”, as the trophy sat at the front of the bus.

The likes of Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Sunday’s match-winner in Berlin, Mikel Oyarzabal, wore white t-shirts with the number four on them in reference to the record number of times Spain have won the European Championship.

“For now, we’re not realising yet what we have accomplished,” Williams said.

The attacker, who scored the opening goal of the 2-1 victory, was also eager to thank Spain’s fans “for the love and warmth they brought the team”.

Spanish national football team players parade on board of a bus as thousands of fans gather to celebrate. (Photo by CESAR MANSO / AFP)

The team bus took them to Plaza Cibeles in central Madrid where thousands more fans waited to celebrate the success, following on from victories in 1964, 2008 and 2012.

Captain Alvaro Morata, who has been open about suffering mental health problems due to the onslaught of criticism he has received on social media over the years, surprised everyone by acting as the master of ceremonies as he introduced each and every one of the players and coach with humour and energy. 

In fact, it was Morata who interrupted the player callout with the first ¡Gibraltar es español! (Gibraltar is Spanish!) chant, which the crowd of Spaniards watching joined in singing. 

This was of course in reference to the fact that they had just beaten England, also reflecting that many in Spain are still frustrated about the fact that there’s an overseas British territory annexed to the Spanish mainland.

When Spain beat the Three Lions on Sunday, hundreds of cars honked their horns in La Línea at the Spain-Gibraltar border.

Midfield maestro Rodri, chosen as MVP of the tournament, also started the Gibraltar chant later during celebrations in Madrid, after which he was reminded by Morata that “you play in England, mate”.

Gibraltar has already lodged an official complaint and The Rock’s leader Fabian Picardo called the chants “worse than disgusting”.

Spain’s celebrations also included musical performances by renowned Spanish artists and some out-of-key singing by the players and coach Luis de La Fuente themselves, some of the former appearing to be fairly inebriated. 

De La Fuente also took the opportunity to tell the millions of people watching on TV that a “united Spain is stronger”, in reference to Basque and Catalan separatist sentiments. 

READ ALSO: Do Catalans and Basques support the Spanish football team?

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POLITICS

Judge insists Spain’s PM testify in person in wife’s corruption probe

A Spanish judge on Friday rejected Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's request to testify in writing in a preliminary corruption probe into his wife's business ties.

Published: 26 July 2024 18:11 CEST
Judge insists Spain's PM testify in person in wife's corruption probe

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who is leading the inquiry, maintained Sánchez’s hearing for next Tuesday at 11:00 am (0900 GMT), according to a court filing seen by AFP.

He said he had summoned Sánchez as the spouse of Begoña Gómez, not as prime minister — which would have allowed the Socialist premier to testify in writing as he had requested.

The judge is scheduled to question Sánchez at the premier’s official residence.

But Sánchez can testify at a later date in writing about “relevant facts of which he has had knowledge by reason of his position”, the judge added.

The only other time a sitting Spanish prime minister had to testify in a judicial case was in 2017 when Mariano Rajoy was summoned in a graft case that led to the conviction of several members of his conservative Popular Party (PP).

Gomez is being investigated for alleged influence peddling and corruption following a complaint filed by an anti-graft NGO with links to the far-right called “Manos Limpias” – Spanish for “Clean Hands”.

Sánchez claims harassment

Sánchez has denied any wrongdoing by his wife, repeatedly dismissing the allegations as part of a smear campaign against his government.

Sánchez can appeal the judge’s ruling that he must testify in person, or he can choose not to testify.

His wife invoked her right to remain silent under questioning by a judge earlier this month.

Gómez, has worked in fundraising for years, notably for foundations and NGOs. She is alleged to have used her husband’s position as leverage within her professional circles, notably with businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés who was seeking public funding.

In his testimony, Barrabés – who teaches part of a master’s course at Madrid’s Complutense University that is run by Gómez – acknowledged meeting her five or six times at Moncloa, the premier’s official residence.

Sánchez, in power since 2018, was also present at two of those meetings, he said.

Barrabés — who got two letters of recommendation from Gómez before pitching for a public tender worth several million euros – said they only talked about matters of innovation, judicial sources said.

When the probe was opened in April, Sánchez shocked Spain by saying he was considering resigning over what he denounced as a campaign of political harassment by the right.

He took five days to reflect but ultimately decided to stay on.

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