Political Backlash in Spain After Racist, Anti\u2011Muslim Chants at Friendly Match Against Egypt
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\nA friendly football match between Spain national football team and Egypt national football team in Barcelona on March\u202f31,\u202fsparked widespread condemnation after sections of the crowd were heard chanting racist and anti\u2011Muslim slogans, prompting an official investigation and sharp political criticism.<\/p>\n
During the match at the RCDE Stadium, which ended in a goalless draw as part of both teams\u2019 preparations for the 2026 World Cup, some supporters chanted phrases such as \u201cwho doesn\u2019t jump is a Muslim,\u201d in repeated incidents that were widely denounced as discriminatory and Islamophobic.<\/p>\n
Catalonia\u2019s regional police force (Mossos d\u2019Esquadra) said it has opened a criminal investigation into the chants, which have been described as both Islamophobic and xenophobic. Authorities also displayed anti\u2011discrimination messages during the game advising fans that such behaviour could be unlawful.<\/p>\n
The incident drew strong rebukes from political and sporting leaders in Spain. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the chants \u201cunacceptable\u201d and said they did not represent Spanish values of diversity and tolerance. He expressed support for the players and urged that the behaviour not be repeated.<\/p>\n
Football officials also condemned the behaviour. The Royal Spanish Football Federation and national team coach Luis de la Fuente denounced the chants, and Spanish winger Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim, publicly called the slogans \u201cdisrespectful and intolerable,\u201d saying football should not be a platform for intolerance.<\/p>\n
The Egyptian Football Association also condemned the chants as a \u201crepugnant act of racism\u201d and reiterated its rejection of discriminatory behaviour in stadiums.<\/p>\n
Local authorities, including the mayor of Cornell\u00e0 de Llobregat, condemned the chants and said they came from a small group of spectators, not the community as a whole. Officials have called for decisive action to prevent similar incidents and uphold respect and coexistence in sports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Political Backlash in Spain After Racist, Anti\u2011Muslim Chants at Friendly Match Against Egypt ———————————– A friendly football match between Spain national football team and Egypt national football team in Barcelona on March\u202f31,\u202fsparked widespread condemnation after sections of the crowd were heard chanting racist and anti\u2011Muslim slogans, prompting an official investigation and sharp political criticism. During …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":141324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[7856],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spain"],"yoast_head":"\n