"Gibraltar is Our Land"... Controversy Over Remarks by Spanish Football Players Who Defeated England

Region under British rule since 1713
Remains a British territory after two referendums

At the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 2024), the Spanish men's national football team players who won the tournament reportedly shouted the slogan "Gibraltar belongs to Spain" during a victory celebration held in the capital, Madrid.

Alvaro Morata, captain of the Spanish men's national football team, took the microphone at the 2024 UEFA European Championship victory celebration held in Madrid, the capital of Spain, and shouted the slogan "Gibraltar belongs to Spain."
[Image source=Screenshot from BBC UK broadcast]

On the 16th (local time), BBC News UK reported that the Spanish players, who won Euro 2024 by defeating the United Kingdom, enjoyed the celebration in Madrid and shouted "Gibraltar belongs to Spain" in front of tens of thousands of fans, who were captured echoing the slogan. Upon learning of this, the Gibraltar Football Association filed an official complaint with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) regarding the incident at the football event, criticizing it as "an extremely provocative and insulting way of celebration by Spain."

Gibraltar located at the southern tip of Spain (left) and an enlarged view of it (right). [Image source=Google Maps capture]

Gibraltar is located at the southern tip of Spain. In 1704, British troops participating in the War of the Spanish Succession occupied Gibraltar, and in 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht permanently ceded Gibraltar from Spain to Britain, placing it under British rule. It has been regarded as a geopolitically valuable location at the gateway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Spain has long demanded the return of the territory, but in two referendums, the residents supported British rule. However, with Brexit (the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union), Gibraltar also left the EU, leading to disagreements between the UK and Spain over how to manage the border.

Meanwhile, in the Euro 2024 round of 16 match between T?rkiye and Austria, T?rkiye's central defender Merih Demiral caused controversy after scoring a goal by making a hand gesture that resembled a wolf, with his thumb, index, and middle fingers together and the other two fingers extended. This gesture is considered the "wolf salute," a greeting used by the far-right extremist group "Grey Wolves" in T?rkiye and parts of Europe such as Germany. The Grey Wolves classify ethnic groups other than the mainstream Turkish population, such as Kurds and Jews, as enemies. The German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution monitors them as a far-right extremist group. UEFA has announced it will investigate Demiral's "inappropriate behavior." As extremists repeatedly make controversial gestures or statements at major tournaments, football fans both domestically and internationally have expressed concern.