Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said on Thursday that the English FA had not boycotted playing Spain because of racism in Spanish football.
Last week the director of communication of the FA, Adrian Bevington, caused uproar in Spain when he said that England would not play a friendly game scheduled for February next year at Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium.
The English do not want to return to the home of Real Madrid because of the racist abuse hurled at their black players by a large proportion of a crowd of over 75,000 four years ago.
However, speaking at the King Juan Carlos University on Thursday, Del Bosque insisted this did not mean a boycott.
"I know that (England coach) Fabio Capello loves Spanish football and Spanish society and from what I have heard there has not been any disagreement. He knows it is not true," said Del Bosque in a talk televised on Spanish TV station Cuatro.
As is usual in this kind of event, Del Bosque was asked about a possible return to the national team for Real Madrid captain Raul, who has not played for his country since the 2006 World Cup finals. The Spanish coach was inconclusive in his reply.
"We have to listen to what the fans want and that is not a sign of weakness," he said.
However, he also hinted that there are other players who will always be picked before Raul is given another chance.
"Our objective is to qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. Next in line we have the Confederations Cup and in the long run, we are waiting for the World Cup, if we manage to qualify."
"(Carlos) Puyol, (Marcos) Senna, Xabi Alonso and Xavi (Hernandez) are all players who have natural talent and who can also work generously and with order in their play," he said.
"It is vital to know how to work with the youngsters and the veterans and find a way for them to work together," added Del Bosque. |
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