Spain player Lamine Yamal has spoken out against the “disrespectful and intolerable” anti-Muslim chants that occurred during a goalless draw against Egypt in Barcelona on Tuesday. Local authorities have initiated an investigation into the incidents that overshadowed the match.
During the opening half of the friendly match at RCDE Stadium, fans expressed anti-Muslim sentiments, despite the opposition being Egypt, a predominantly Muslim nation with Islam as its official religion.
While the chants were not targeted at Yamal, who is a practicing Muslim and recently observed Ramadan, they nonetheless impacted him as a young athlete.
“I am Muslim, alhamdulillah (thank God),” Yamal shared on Instagram. He noted, “In the stadium, there were songs saying ‘If you don’t jump, you’re a Muslim.’ I understand it was aimed at the opposing team rather than personally directed, but as a Muslim, it is still disrespectful and completely unacceptable.”
“I recognize that not all supporters participate in this behavior, but for those who do: using religion as a means to mock others in a stadium is ignorant and racist,” he added.
“Football should be a source of enjoyment and support, not a platform for disrespecting individuals based on their identity or beliefs.”
Born in Barcelona to a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother, Yamal has represented Spain from a young age, despite receiving interest from Morocco.
At just 18, he is already a prominent figure on the Spain team, contributing to their victory in UEFA Euro 2024 and expected to play a significant role in the upcoming FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico this summer.
Catalonia’s sports minister, Berni Álvarez, expressed understanding of Yamal’s distress, emphasizing their support for the Barça player. “It’s normal for him to feel affected by these events,” he stated. “We will do what we can to support him.”
Álvarez condemned the chants, calling the situation “deplorable” and noted, “It represents a serious issue that we utterly reject. This is a major setback.” He further stated, “It appears that the individuals responsible for the chants purposely attended the game to spread hate speech, and I doubt many had any ties to the sports community.”
The Mossos d’Esquadra, Barcelona’s local police, confirmed their investigation into the “Islamophobic and xenophobic chants” heard during the Spain-Egypt match.
According to a source, FIFA will be reviewing reports from the match, signaling potential sanctions for Spain from the governing body of world football.
FIFA typically assesses reports from the referee, match inspector, on-site security, and video evidence before determining any necessary action.
Álvarez also called for accountability regarding the chanting, criticizing the delayed reaction from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Catalan Football Federation (FCF), who organized the match. “The response was insufficient and came too late,” he remarked. “We alerted RFEF and FCF at halftime to activate the necessary protocols or we would exit the stadium.”
He emphasized that action should have been taken as soon as the first chant was heard and, if it persisted, the game should have been halted. “We must confront these issues decisively,” he added, requesting a report on potential actions and demanding strong measures. “There should be a way to identify those who initiated the chants.”
During the buildup to the game, fans whistled loudly during Egypt’s national anthem and later chanted “Musulmán el que no bote,” loosely translating to “If you’re not jumping, you’re a Muslim.” They also whistled when some Egyptian players knelt and kissed the ground at halftime.
A message was displayed on the stadium screen and read out by the announcer during halftime, urging supporters to refrain from xenophobic statements and chants. This message was reiterated early in the second half, to which some sections of the crowd responded with whistles.
On Wednesday, the Egyptian Football Association condemned the anti-Muslim chanting, labeling it a “reprehensible racist act.” They also criticized the disrespect shown during the playback of the national anthem.
“Such behavior is completely unacceptable in football stadiums and reflects a negative trend that requires collective action to eliminate,” the EFA stated. They voiced appreciation for the condemnation and rejection of the incidents by various Spanish football authorities and figures.
The EFA also indicated that they are collaborating with “FIFA officials and relevant stakeholders globally to prevent such offensive occurrences in football stadiums.” They affirmed their commitment to combating racism and discrimination in the sport, stressing the necessity of preventing future incidents and diligently working to eradicate this issue.
RCD Espanyol also released a statement condemning the racist actions that transpired during the friendly match, asserting that such behavior is reprehensible, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values of sports, and should be firmly denounced and eliminated from all sporting venues.