Spain's sporting community must pay a heavy price for the sickening racist abuse aimed at England's Ashley Cole and Shaun-Wright Phillips - a punishment so harsh it eradicates this shameful behaviour once and for all.
 |  Spain has a glorious sporting history and tradition, but there is clearly a problem here |
I would start by saying it must immediately hit Spain's bid for the 2012 Olympics.
I cannot believe for a second the International Olympic Committee will be impressed when they hear about what happened in Madrid's Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday.
And they must hear about it, particularly with Madrid hoping to host an Olympics.
Spain has a glorious sporting history and tradition, but there is clearly a problem here.
It runs so deep that you must ask is it a realistic idea to bring some of the world's greatest athletes, so many of them black, to a place where they may be treated as appallingly as Cole and Wright-Phillips were?
I would seriously consider banning Spain from a World Cup or European Championship as well if this does not stop.
The penalties should be so harsh that these people know they run the risk of putting Spain's hopes of taking part in these events in jeopardy.
England's players would have been sickened by what happened, and sadly I have to report that I heard similar chants when they played in Slovakia and Macedonia.
Some fans seem to be allowed into the Bernebau later on, with a consequence that the chanting was even louder when Wright-Phillips came on later in the game.
It is appalling and can never be condoned in any form. Football's governing bodies must take a stand, as well as the International Olympic Committee.
On the pitch Manchester United's Wayne Rooney claimed the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Rooney's behaviour was borne of frustration, but you cannot condone his behaviour. He started by putting in a wild, high tackle on Joaquin that would have been a yellow card in a competitive game.
When he pushed Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas into the crowd, I don't know what he was thinking of. He was very fortunate Casillas didn't sustain some serious damage.
England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has been criticised for taking him off two minutes before the interval, but the way he was carrying on there was a question mark over whether he would survive those two minutes.
| Eriksson and Ferguson need to tell Rooney to calm down |
Eriksson maybe took him off to prove a point - and both he and Sir Alex Ferguson now need to tell Rooney to calm down.
Rooney will effectively have a big bull's eye on the front of his shirt now inviting defenders, both for club and country, to kick him and wind him up to see if he reacts.
Some have said Wayne has had himself under control playing for England, but I cannot entirely agree. There has always been something bubbling below the surface, a timebomb waiting to go off.
At least this happened in a meaningless friendly, no real harm was done and we have to believe he will learn from this massive wake-up call.
He can't really take much of a lead from England captain David Beckham - who was anonymous again in Madrid - because he has occasionally gone around like a headless chicken and has admitted fouling players to get deliberately booked.
I'm not defending Rooney but sometimes great players live on the edge, such as Paul Gascoigne. Rooney, like those other players, has huge self-confidence and the bottle to try things others wouldn't dream of.
What he mustn't do is cross the line. He must learn and vow to himself that this will never happen again.
As for the game itself, it was a very frustrating night. Spain were right up for it, very focused and fancied it more than England. Spain were quicker, slicker, brighter, hungrier.
Yet again England conceded from a set-piece. England have only kept four clean sheets in their last 14 internationals - against Switzerland, Ukraine, Wales and Azerbaijan.
That's not good enough. and the way they conceded in Madrid would have been unacceptable at club level, let alone international level.
When England went behind they had 11 men in the penalty area, compared with five from Spain. Nicky Butt, of all people, was picking up and Asier del Horno still got a header in.
When I assess the number of goals England concede from set-pieces, you have to wonder whether they work on them at all.
There are other serious points to be made. The left-hand combination of Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge is not a solution against top opposition.
Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing has been mentioned as a solution, but he is a young man and I doubt he will have enough time or opportunities to bed in before the next qualifiers.
It is galling to think that the last time England looked effective with a left-flank option it was when Emile Heskey and Nick Barmby were used there. Sadly, Eriksson does not experiment. He does not experiment in friendlies, so it is unlikely he will experiment at all.
I would consider playing three strikers in some games, but that left side is a serious problem.
Which brings me back to a man I have discussed before - David Beckham. If Shaun Wright-Phillips is going to be a serious option, he needs to start more games not just have 15 or 20 minutes here and there.
When Steven Gerrard is fit he must partner Frank Lampard in the middle.
Beckham always plays, usually on the right, so it is difficult to see where or when Wright-Phillips will get those crucial opportunities to acclimatise to international football.
MMIX
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