Thomas Tuchel says racism comments were “twisted” ahead of England’s trip to Spain

England boss Thomas Tuchel has played down a racism row ahead of Sunday’s Nations League clash with Spain in Madrid, insisting his original comments were “twisted”.

Tuchel had said he would “maybe take our five minutes to inform the players about the protocol” after FIFA punished Spain’s federation over a discriminatory chant during a friendly with Egypt in March.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente responded: “What I’d tell you, and you can tell Thomas [Tuchel], is that in Spain, there’s no racism.”

According to ESPN, Tuchel accused reporters of manufacturing a disagreement, saying: “It’s a perfect example of how it works because I never talked about racism in Spain.”

“I never expect racism, and the dressing room is the most anti-racist place on earth and that’s exactly how it works,” he added.

The match is England’s first in Madrid since a 2004 meeting overshadowed by racist chanting aimed at their players.Spain top Group C after five straight wins.