Lamine Yamal condemns Islamophobic chanting during Spain vs Egypt friendly
Barcelona and Spain sensation Lamine Yamal has denounced the alleged Islamophobic chanting that marred his country’s goalless friendly against Egypt on Tuesday evening as “utterly unacceptable,” reports BritPanorama.
The 17-year-old forward, a practising Muslim, took to Instagram on Wednesday to address the offensive behaviour witnessed at the RCDE Stadium. “I am Muslim, alhamdulillah,” Yamal declared. “I know the chants were against the opposition and nothing personal, but as a Muslim it is still disrespectful and completely intolerable.”
The discriminatory chanting began shortly after kick-off, with sections of the crowd repeatedly singing “whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim” throughout the first half and again after the interval. Egypt’s national anthem was also met with jeers from the crowd before the match commenced.
Stadium authorities attempted to intervene by displaying warnings on the large screens at half-time and then again early in the second period. These appeals fell on deaf ears, however, with portions of the crowd responding to the messages with further whistling. Yamal, withdrawn at the break, left the ground visibly affected, head bowed, and did not acknowledge supporters — a departure from the customary post-match appreciation.
Spain’s head coach Luis de la Fuente expressed his revulsion following the match, stating, “Total and absolute disgust at any racist or xenophobic act. These violent individuals, who exploit football, must be removed from society.” The Royal Spanish Football Federation swiftly aligned itself with the condemnation, reaffirming its opposition to all manifestations of racism and violence within football grounds.
Espanyol, the club whose stadium hosted the international fixture, also issued a strong denunciation of the behaviour witnessed during the friendly. Spanish police in Barcelona have launched an investigation into what they characterised as “Islamophobic and xenophobic” chanting during the match. The fixture was originally scheduled to take place in Qatar but was relocated due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, adding further complexity to the event.
Manager De la Fuente made ten alterations to his starting eleven following Friday’s 3-0 victory over Serbia, with Yamal the only player retained from that triumph. Egypt, meanwhile, were forced to compete without talismanic forward Mohamed Salah, who continues to recover from a foot injury sustained earlier in the campaign. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the challenges that can emerge in the intersection of sport and societal issues.
