Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has hit out at Spain's football team after they chanted "Gibraltar is Spanish" at a victory party in Madrid on Monday.
The Spanish players had been presenting their hard-fought trophy to thousands of revelling fans in Madrid's Plaza de Cibeles when players including Manchester City's Rodri and national team captain Alvaro Morata led the nationalist chants.
Rodri riled up crowds with the phrase "Gibraltar is Spanish", before Morata interjected to remind the Euros' player of the tournament that he played in England - to which Rodri replied: "I couldn't care less."
But then, Morata himself took over the goading, saying: "Just a little pause to remind you of something... I was given a hard time there - It is Spanish, Gibraltar is Spanish!"
Picardo compared the comments to those encouraged under Spain's General Franco
PA
A Gibraltar Government spokesman had slammed the chants as "rancid" - and now, Picardo himself weighed in to condemn the "offensive" language.
Speaking to Times Radio, Picardo said: "Nothing is going to change as a result of a football match, or something a footballer in his 20s says - whether holding the European Cup or not.
"But it goes to the root of things that we find offensive. We're a separate Uefa nation."
Echoing comments made to GB News by another Gibraltarian official yesterday, Picardo made reference to notorious Spanish dictator General Franco in his blasting of the players' remarks.
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The Chief Minister said: "This comes from the days of General Franco that used to egg people on to make this sort of chant.
"And to see young people take it over unthinkingly, without realising what it is that they are adopting, and to then to see in public, enjoying themselves, one of the sisters of the King of Spain and the mayor of Madrid chanting along is really quite soul-destroying, frankly."
But Picardo, bullish as ever, said: "Nothing is ever going to change. Our culture is going to stay British."
"This is just utter nonsense, but it's deeply offensive, deeply discriminatory, and not the sort of thing that we should see surrounding the magnificent sport of football, and such an excellent win on the pitch for Spain."
Spain had pipped England to European glory on Sunday night
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Spanish officials repeated the players' claims, further extending a war of words
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His comments echo those from Gibraltar's government and FA yesterday, which were equally scathing in their criticism of the Spanish players.
The rock's Football Association announced it was looking into filing an official complaint over the chants, while its government blasted the players for "advancing the idea of usurping the territory of Gibraltar".
But Spanish officials repeated the claims, further extending a war of words between English, Spanish and Gibraltarian figures; Javier Ortega-Smith, a senior member of the hard-right Vox party, retweeted a video of the chant and expressing his support.
While the Mayor of Madrid, Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, said: "The players didn’t say anything that most Spaniards don’t believe".