Madrid - Spanish football was in a state of indignation on Tuesday as racism in the game made the headlines.

The English Football Association does not want to play against Spain in a planned February friendly in Real Madrid's Estadio Bernabeu because of the racist abuse suffered by England's black players there in a 2004 match.

In addition, the continental body UEFA have ruled that Atletico Madrid must play their next two Champions League home matches - against Livepool on October 22 and against PSV Eindhoven on November 26 - at a distance of at least 300 kilometres from Madrid.

The punishment comes after serious crowd trouble at the October 1 match between Atletico and Olympique Marseille. Spanish police made around 30 arrests and Marseille's black players were racially abused in the Estadio Calderon.

UEFA has also hit Atletico with a 150,000 euros (203,709 US dollars) and Atletico coach Javier Aguirre has been given a two-match touchline ban for abusing Marseille players.

The ban was front page news in Marca on Tuesday, with the sports paper saying the sanction "seems rather harsh."

Marca said it would be "very cruel" to deny the Atletico fans the chance to pay tribute to former club idol Fernando Torres, now starring for Liverpool.

Atletico - back in the Champions League for the first time since 1997 - are top of Group D after winning their first two matches, 2-1 against Marseille and 3-0 in Eindhoven.

An online poll conducted by Marca showed on Tuesday that 62.67 per cent of readers think the ban to be unjustified, though 37.36 per cent consider it fair.

Another online Marca poll said that 63.36 per cent of its readers believe that the Spanish federation should cancel the February friendly the English FA confirms its refusal to play in the Bernabeu. The FA said on Monday it would prefer a different venue.

Alfredo Relano, influential editor of Madrid sports daily AS, said that the Spanish federation should not propose an alternative venue, if the FA refuses to play at the Bernabeu.

At the same time, however, he dared to admit that Spanish football might have a racist problem, something that practically no other sector of the Spanish media has so far conceded.

"Are we racists?" asks Relano. "Perhaps we are, without being aware of it."