Smash hit

"He believes racism has no part to play in sport or in any other matter. We believe we have made real progress in kicking racism out of British football."

Richard Caborn, the Sports Minister, said: "I was absolutely appalled by the reaction of the crowd and I will be writing to the Spanish sports minister to express my outrage at their behaviour."

The build-up to the game was dominated by the topic of racism, after Spain coach Luis Aragones' ill-judged comments to Jose Antonio Reyes about his Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry last month. Later Aragones lost his cool, when being questioned about being caught on camera referring to Thierry Henry as "a black s***".

Some Spanish newspapers this morning claimed that the English were exaggerating the problem, and that the FA was needlessly fanning the flames.

Marca, Spain’s leading sports newspaper, ran a column by Miguel Angel Mendez, saying: "It’s one thing that we have a coach and another that people see something wherever they look.

"What the (English) FA have done is make a noise about nothing. At the under-21s there were songs and racist chants towards the England team’s black players? I repeat that is a lie.

"There were insults but not because someone is black, white, green or blue. That happens every weekend in every ground throughout the world.

"If you want to look at some bad behaviour, look at the England fans who arrived totally drunk. Are we going to say all England fans are drunks?"

But a spokesman for the Spanish Government later said that Madrid "condemned categorically what happened yesterday in the Bernabeu stadium".

"The actions of a small group of fans during the friendly game between England and Spain were very regrettable," he said.

"The Secretary of State for Sport is working with the football federation to try to identify the small number of people who were involved."

He said their actions constituted a crime under Spanish law. Asked if earlier racist comments by Spanish coach Luis Aragones about Arsenal striker Thierry Henry had inflamed the situation, the spokesman said: "They didn’t help."

Reacting to reports that Spanish football authorities were denying there were racist chants last night, he added: "It is obvious that something happened. There was racism and racist attitudes that we do not tolerate."

Under FIFA's disciplinary code, if spectators display banners bearing racist slogans at a match, the national association or club involved face a minimum £15,000 fine and being ordered to play their next competitive match behind closed doors.

The code does not specifically cover verbal racist abuse but it is understood the same penalties could apply to Spain's FA.

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