Lamine Yamal expressed his outrage at the shameful events that marred the Egypt-Spain friendly match in the stands of Espanyol’s stadium, condemning the racist chants against Muslims and directing a scathing message to those responsible.
Despite the strong political and humanitarian ties between Egypt and Spain, fans at the RCDE stadium booed the Egyptian national anthem before the match and then, starting in the 23rd minute, directed racist insults at Muslims.
Lamine Yamal Attacks Racist Spanish Fans
According to the newspaper “Sport,” Spanish national team star Lamine Yamal was furious about the racist chants against Muslims, which negatively impacted his performance during the match.
In his first message after the incident, Yamal wrote on his official Instagram account, “I am a Muslim, thank God.”
He added, “Yesterday, chants were heard in the stadium saying, ‘Whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim.’ I know these chants were directed at the opposing team and not at me personally, but as a Muslim, this is disrespectful and unacceptable.”
He continued, “I understand that not all fans are like that, but to those who chant such things: using religion as a tool for mockery makes you look ignorant and racist.”
🚨 Lamine Yamal statement.
“𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐦, 𝐚𝐥𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐡.
Yesterday in the stadium, the chant “the one who doesn’t boo is Muslim” was heard. I know it was aimed at the rival team and it wasn’t something against me — but as a Muslim, it doesn’t stop being a… pic.twitter.com/xsWOpKuJ8V
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 1, 2026
He concluded, “Football exists for enjoyment and cheering, not for insulting others because of their identity or beliefs. In closing, I thank the fans who came to support us, and we’ll see you at the World Cup.”
Spain and Egypt condemn the incident
The president of the Spanish Football Federation, Rafael Lozan, condemned what happened in the stands at Espanyol’s stadium, as did the coach of the Spanish national team, Luis de la Fuente.
Catalan Sports Minister Berni Álvarez believes the incident was orchestrated by far-right parties.
Catalan police have opened an investigation into the chants, and Justice Minister Félix Bolaños condemned the incident, stating, “These racist insults and chants are a disgrace to us as a society.”
The Egyptian Football Association also issued a statement on Wednesday condemning the incident and thanking the Spanish authorities for their intervention and apology.
The statement continued, “The Egyptian Football Association wishes to emphasize that the actions of a small number of fans in the stands at Espanyol’s stadium will in no way affect the strong relationship between the Egyptian and Spanish Football Associations.”
Potential Sanctions for Spain Due to the Incident
Despite condemnation from both Spanish sports and political officials, “La Roja” (the Spanish national team) is likely to face sanctions from FIFA.
FIFA regulations allow for sanctions against national federations (even if they are not directly responsible for the incident) if one or more supporters of a national team or club insult the dignity or integrity of a country, person, or group of persons by using insulting, discriminatory, or derogatory words or actions based on race, color, origin, gender, disability, language, religion, political affiliation, financial status, place of birth, or any other reason.
This incident could result in the Spanish national team having a section of the stadium closed or facing a financial penalty for upcoming home matches.
As a result of this incident, Spain’s hosting of the 2030 World Cup final is also in jeopardy, given Morocco’s strong bid to secure the honor, which will ultimately be decided by FIFA in the coming months.
It is worth noting that the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is competing with the Grand Stade de Casablanca to host the 2030 World Cup final, while Camp Nou in Catalonia is also vying for the honor.
