In the game, played Tuesday night 31 March, Egypt’s national anthem was jeered before kickoff while anti-Muslim chants were heard from the stands. Stadium officials responded by repeatedly urging fans over the public address system to stop the chanting.
BBC reports that at half time, a message warning fans against xenophobic remarks and singing was displayed on the screen at the stadium. The message was repeated early in the second half, leading to whistles from some sections of the crowd.
The day after the match, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said it fully condemned “the disgusting racist incident at the RCDE Stadium, where some fans made racist chants”.
In a statement on its official social media accounts on Wednesday the EFA said: “We totally reject and condemn these incidents, including the disrespect shown to the national anthem. This behaviour has no place in football and is a negative phenomenon that must be confronted collectively.”
The EFA said it welcomed the condemnation from Spanish officials and players, adding that its President Hani Abo Rida, who is also a member of the FIFA Council, was working with world football’s governing body and other stakeholders to combat racism.
“What happened is totally unacceptable. FIFA is fighting racism in football, and the recurrence of such incidents cannot be tolerated. All parties must work to prevent them in future,” the statement said.
The federation said the actions of a minority of fans would not damage relations with the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), citing the warm welcome and support provided to Egypt’s delegation in Spain.
The RFEF also condemned the chants. “What we’ve done is condemn these kinds of attitudes and say they must not be repeated,” RFEF President Rafael Louzan said.
"The RFEF stands against racism in football and condemns any act of violence inside stadiums," it said in a statement on social media.
“It’s intolerable,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente told reporters after the match, calling those responsible “a disgrace”.
“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,” he added.
De la Fuente said the chants did not represent football’s values. He said he felt “total and absolute rejection” toward any xenophobic or racist behaviour. He said stadium officials followed protocol and noted that many spectators whistled at the fans behind the chants.
Spanish police said they were investigating what they described as “Islamophobic and xenophobic” behaviour. Catalonia’s regional police opened an investigation after supporters chanted “who doesn’t jump is a Muslim” during the match.
The police statement followed comments by Spain’s Justice Minister Felix Bolanos who said 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,” Bolanos added on X.
“We continue working for a country that is tolerant and respectful of everyone.”
The complaints of the incident went all the way up to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez who on Wednesday condemned an "uncivil minority" of football fans for "tarnishing" the country's image with "unacceptable" anti-Muslim chants.
Tuesday's incident "is unacceptable and must not happen again," Sanchez wrote on X. "We cannot allow an uncivil minority to tarnish the reality of Spain, a diverse and tolerant country."
Probably the most famous person to lend his voice to the deplorable conduct in Barcelona that day was Spanish football prodigy Lamine Yamal who described the chants as "disrespectful and intolerable".
"I know it [the chant] was directed at the opposing team and wasn't personal against me, but as a Muslim, it's still disrespectful and intolerable," Yamal, who is a practising Muslim, wrote on Instagram.
"I understand that not all fans are like that, but to those who chant these things: using a religion as a taunt on the field makes you ignorant and racist.
“I am Muslim, and thank God,” Yamal, 18, said.
"Football is for enjoying and cheering, not for disrespecting people for who they are or what they believe.”
He nevertheless thanked supporters who attended the match. “Despite that, I thank everyone who came to support us, and I will see you at the World Cup,” he added.
Spain is home to a large Muslim population. Tuesday’s incident was the latest in a series of racist episodes in Spanish football in recent years, including repeated abuse directed at Brazilian Vinicius Junior who plays for Real Madrid.
Tuesday's game, which ended 0-0, was due to be played in Qatar but was moved to the home of La Liga side Espanyol because of the war in the Middle East.
It was used as a warm-up by Egypt and Spain, both of whom will be playing in the World Cup starting in June.
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