Sport 18-11-2004 Friendly Match Was Racist Disgrace who: England football team what: Beaten 1-0 by Spain in friendly marred by racist fans where: Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid, Spain when: Last night snippet: "England soccer stars endured a torrent of vile race abuse during their match in Spain last night," says The Mirror. "Large parts of the crowd made monkey grunts and sang racist chants whenever a black player touched the ball - with even a police officer seen joining in." "So Much for friendly internationals," remarks Paul Newman in The Independent. "After a build-up dominated by English anger over Spanish racism, which again disfigured last night`s match here in Madrid, England fell to an ignominious defeat, their display tainted by a series of ugly incidents." England conceded a goal from a corner in the ninth minute, headed home by Athletic Bilbao left-back Asier Del Horno, and although Paul Robinson gave away - and then brilliantly saved - a highly controversial penalty after 24 minutes, England never recovered. The Guardian says sports minister Richard Caborn will write to Spanish sports minister Jaime Lissavetzky to complain and had called on UEFA and FIFA to investigate. It probably won`t help Madrid`s 2012 Olympic bid, submitted to the International Olympic Committee on Monday, either. In the media`s post mortem, England`s "short-fused" wunderkind Wayne Rooney is not found without culpability. henry Winter of The Telegraph says the Manchester United striker would likely have ended up with a sending-off if Sven Goran Eriksson had not substituted him and the 18 year-old seemed less than sporting when he "swore at the England bench as he stormed towards the tunnel, ripping off an armband worn as a mark of respect for Emlyn Hughes and Keith Weller". Meanwhile, caretaker manager Tommy Burns failed to further any ambitions he might harbour to coach the Scotland team long-term - visitors Sweden thrashed the Scots by four goals to one at Easter Road. [... more]

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