Spain Vs Egypt: Anti-Muslim Chants From Home Crowd Overshadow Friendly – Video

Spain’s international friendly against Egypt on Tuesday was overshadowed by repeated anti-Muslim chants from sections of the home crowd during the goalless draw in Barcelona.

Spanish fans at the RCDE Stadium were heard chanting “Musulmán el que no bote” – “If you’re not jumping, you’re a Muslim” – throughout the first half. Egypt’s national anthem was also met with loud whistling.

There were multiple warnings from the authorities, with a message shown on the big screen at half-time. The stadium announcer also read the message at half-time and early in the second half, resulting in more whistles from the stands.

Further jeers were heard when Egyptian players kneeled and kissed the ground at half-time – an Islamic gesture known as “sajda” or “sujud”. Egypt is a predominantly Muslim nation, with Islam as its official state religion.

Spain’s star player, Lamine Yamal, is a practising Muslim and observes Ramadan. The Moroccan-origin player was seen leaving the stadium immediately after the full-time whistle. He later released a strongly-worded condemnation of the incident on Instagram.

Spanish Federation, Head Coach Condemn Chants

Both the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and head coach Luis de la Fuente condemned the incidents shortly after the match.

“The RFEF stands against racism in football and condemns any act of violence inside stadiums,” a statement from the Spanish federation read.

“I am repulsed by and absolutely reject any form of xenophobia or racism – it’s completely intolerable,” de la Fuente said. “I don’t know exactly what the protocol is, but I think it was the right decision to display the message on the scoreboard and make the announcement.”

“Those (chanting) are a disgrace – and the majority (inside the stadium) whistled them. There’s nothing else to say,” he added. “They are not representative of football. They take advantage of football, as they do in other areas of life. They need to be removed from society – the further away, the better.”

“Sports is effort, work, and talent, but it is also respect, solidarity, and coexistence,” Spanish sports minister Milagros Tolon said. “Hate, racism, and xenophobia have no place in stadiums or in our society.”

La Liga side Espanyol, whose home ground hosted the match, also condemned what it termed “racist behaviour”.

Egypt FA Blasts ‘Racist’ Chants

The Egyptian Football Association described the incident as a “reprehensible racist act” and also criticised the disrespect shown during their national anthem.

“These actions are entirely unacceptable in football stadiums and represent a negative phenomenon that must be collectively addressed and eradicated,” the EFA said, adding that it “highly appreciates the statements of rejection and condemnation issued by the Spanish Football Federation, the Spanish Ministry of Sport, as well as officials and football figures across Spain…”

The EFA confirmed it is working with “FIFA officials and all relevant stakeholders and international institutions to prevent such offensive incidents from occurring in football stadiums”.

Meanwhile, Spain will face Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde, and Uruguay in Group H of the 48-team FIFA World Cup 2026, which starts on June 11.