About 10 minutes into Spain’s friendly against Egypt at Barcelona’s RCDE Stadium on 31 March, sections of the home support began chanting, “Who doesn't jump is a Muslim”. The chant returned at the beginning of the second half.
After the second chant, the stadium announcer warned supporters and an anti-discrimination message appeared on the scoreboard. Spain’s football federation, the RFEF, condemned the chants at the time.
The match finished 0-0, yet FIFA’s response has now left Spain facing consequences at its next home friendly.
FIFA announced on Friday that it had fined Spain $20,000 and ordered the closure of at least 15 per cent of available seats for the team’s next friendly. The closed areas must be focused primarily on sections behind the goals.
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Subject to FIFA approval, Spain may use those seats for community or special-interest groups, including families, students and anti-discrimination organisations.
Lamine Yamal, Spain’s Muslim winger, called the chants “disrespectful and racist”. Coach Luis de la Fuente described them as “intolerable”.
Egypt’s football association called the chanting a “repugnant act of racism”.
FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against the RFEF over what it termed “Islamophobic and xenophobic” chants. The federation argued that the word “Muslim” was neither insulting nor pejorative.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee rejected that argument, saying discriminatory language did not need to contain an explicit slur. FIFA also rejected Spain’s appeal after the match.
Spain’s next potential friendly is scheduled for June. If the team qualifies for the Nations League finals, the stadium sanction will be delayed until one of the empty dates during Euro 2028 qualifying in Autumn.
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