&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "FIFA World Cup 2026 | Spain fans target Egypt with anti-Muslim chants in friendly at Barcelona")
The friendly between Spain and Egypt on Tuesday (Mar 30) at RCDE Stadium in Barcelona ended in a draw but not without unwanted drama. The home fans were warned several times over using xenophobic chants against the visiting Muslim players. The two teams ended the match on 0-0 score in what is dubbed as practice before upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, which starts Jun 11 in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. Apart from the anti-Muslim chants, there was also loud whistling before Egypt's national anthem, something Spanish federation condemned in harsh words. The stadium screen also showed messages asking home fans to stop with their racist chants.
What were the chants during Spain vs. Egypt?
The home fans shouted "Musulmán el que no bote" - which roughly means "If you're not jumping, you're a Muslim" coupled with loud whistling before Egypt's national anthem. The whistling continued as the Egyptian players kneeled and kissed the ground at the half-time. Notably, Spain superstar Lamine Yamal is a Muslim with his father being from Morocco and the player recently celebrated his faith with Ramadan.
How did Spanish Football Federation react?
The Royal Spanish Football Federation not only displayed message on stadium screen asking fans to desist from the xenophobic chants, they condemned the behaviour of fans on social media as well and stood "against racism in football and condemns any act of violence inside stadiums."
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Spain coach Luis de la Fuent was more severe in his response as he asked for "such people" to be removed from society.
"I am repulsed by and absolutely reject any form of xenophobia or racism -- it's completely intolerable," De la Fuente said in a news conference. 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. 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."
Spain and Egypt's in FIFA World Cup 2026
Spain are in Group H along with Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay while Egypt are in Group G along with Belgium, New Zealand, and Iran.
