Spanish Football Fans Chanted Anti-Muslim Slurs At A Match Against Egypt, Sparking Condemnation

Spanish football fans chanted anti-Muslim slurs at a match between Spain and Egypt.

On March 31, during a friendly match between Spain and Egypt as part of the World Cup preparations at the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, Spain, Spanish fans whistled and booed loudly during Egypt's national anthem before the game.

The fans then chanted, "Musulmán el que no bote," which roughly translates to "if you're not jumping, you're a Muslim."

Some fans then whistled again when Egyptian players kneeled on the ground at halftime, a gesture Muslim players often do as a sign of praise to God when they are celebrating or happy with the results, according to ESPN.

The stadium displayed a message at halftime that was also read out by the announcer, ordering supporters to stop the racist chants before the match ended with a 0-0 draw.

The Egyptian Football Association condemned the chants, calling them a "reprehensible racist act" and denouncing the disrespect shown during Egypt's national anthem.

Spain's coach Luis de la Fuente said the chants were “intolerable,” adding "they are not representative of football.”

“They take advantage of football, as they do in other areas of life. We need to isolate these people from society," he said, according to Al Jazeera.

Lamine Yamal, one of the best football players in Spain and the world, who is also Muslim criticized the chants on a post on Instagram.

"I know it was against the opposition and nothing personal, but as a Muslim it is still disrespectful and completely intolerable," he said. "To use religion as a way of mocking others inside a stadium is ignorant and racist."

Spain's prime minister Pedro Sánchez called the incident "unacceptable," and the justice minister said the chants "embarrass us as a society."

Catalonia's regional police force said they were investigating the anti-Islam chants.

This is not the first time racist abuse has overshadowed Spanish football.

Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior has been repeatedly racially abused by fans at stadiums across Spain.

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