Manchester United moves past Martinez incident as Spain faces FIFA fine

UPDATE - follow-up to Martínez sorry for outburst; Reece James has knee surgery; Premier League news: football – live: Manchester United manager has confirmed that Martinez is part of the squad for Sunday's match at Leeds after the player released a statement addressing his recent comments. Asked by journalist Jamie Jackson if Martinez should have apologised personally to Jason Wilcox, the manager said the player's public statement was enough to move on. He added that the squad's training session was in a fantastic place and that the team is not distracted by outside talk.

FIFA Sanctions

FIFA fined Spain $20,000 and ordered a partial stadium closure for their next friendly after fans chanted Islamophobic slogans during a March match against Egypt at the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona. The Spanish football federation argued the term used was not pejorative, but FIFA's disciplinary committee rejected the claim, stating that the phrase functioned as an insult in context.

Croatian Protests

Croatian leaders condemned pro-Nazi and anti-Semitic chants by Hajduk Split fans, known as the Torcida, before a Conference League match against Ajax. Police detained dozens of fans for violence and opened an investigation into the chants, while President Zoran Milanovic called the incident shameful and urged swift action.

Context

Football authorities face growing pressure to curb discrimination and offensive behaviour inside stadiums through financial penalties and partial venue closures. Governing bodies continue to apply strict disciplinary rules to address fan misconduct during international and club fixtures.