The Japan Times - 'Tarnished' Spain probes anti-Muslim chants at Egypt friendly

Egypt's national anthem was also jeered ahead of the 0-0 draw on Tuesday in a pre-World Cup friendly, while authorities at La Liga side Espanyol's RCDE Stadium appealed to fans more than once over the public announcement system to refrain from making offensive comments.

It was the latest in a string of similar incidents to overshadow Spanish football in recent years, with Real Madrid's Brazilian attacker Vinicius Junior in particular repeatedly racially abused.

"We are investigating yesterday's Islamophobic and xenophobic chants at RCDE Stadium during the Spain-Egypt friendly match," Catalonia's regional police force, the Mossos d'Esquadra, wrote on X.

A section of supporters had chanted: "Whoever doesn't jump is Muslim."

One of Spain's starters during Tuesday's match, forward Lamine Yamal who plays for Espanyol's city rivals Barcelona and is Muslim, slammed the chants as "a lack of respect and something intolerable".

"To those who sing these things: using a religion as a form of mockery on a pitch shows you up as ignorant and racist," the teenage star wrote on Instagram.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned an "unacceptable" incident on X, adding: "we cannot allow an uncivil minority to tarnish the reality of Spain, a diverse and tolerant country."

Justice Minister Felix Bolanos said on X that "racist insults and chants embarrass us as a society".

"The far right will not leave any space free from their hatred, and those who remain silent today will be complicit," he added.

- 'Intolerable' -

The Egyptian Football Association expressed in a statement its "total condemnation of the vile racist incident" by some spectators who "went beyond the limits".

The Spanish Football Federation also condemned the chants, as did most major political parties.

But the leader of the far-right Vox party, Santiago Abascal, reposted a photo taken at the match of fans waving red and yellow Spanish flags along with the message: "Proud fans, proud country".

"When Spain plays, there's no room for doubts or division," the message added.

The game in Barcelona was moved from Qatar due to the war in the Middle East and was played out in a hostile environment from the start.

A message urging fans to stop xenophobic chants and remarks was displayed on the screen at half-time and read aloud by the stadium announcer at the ground.

The announcement was repeated early in the second half, prompting some sections of the crowd of 35,000 to respond with whistles.

"I don't know exactly what the protocol is, but I think it was the right decision to display the message on the screen and make the announcement," Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said after the match, calling the chants "intolerable".

"Violent people use football to carve out a space for themselves. They must be removed from society, identified, and kept as far away as possible," the 64-year-old added.

- First conviction -

Spain has struggled to stamp out racism at football matches.

Vinicius, 25, has become a lightning rod for racist abuse since arriving in the Spanish capital in 2018 from Brazilians Flamengo.

In January 2023, Atletico Madrid fans hung an effigy of Vinicius from a bridge near Real Madrid's training ground.

In 2025, five Real Valladolid fans, who racially abused Vinicius in a 2022 match, were found guilty by a court of committing a hate crime -- the first such ruling in Spain regarding insults at a football stadium.

Spain's game with Egypt was a warm-up fixture for this summer's World Cup, with both nations qualified for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

La Roja will face Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H, while Egypt are scheduled to play against Belgium, New Zealand and Iran in Group G.

Y.Ishikawa--JT