ไทย
English
中國人
Lamine Yamal called on Spain supporters to remember that soccer is "to be enjoyed and encouraged," insisting there is no room for the discrimination that overshadowed this week's World Cup tune-up against Egypt in Barcelona.
Chants of "whoever doesn't jump is a Muslim" rang out during the game at RCDE Stadium, the usual home ground of La Liga club Espanyol.
The deeply offensive Islamophobic slur was aimed at the Egyptian players, with roughly 90% of the country identifying as Muslim. Yamal, who is also Muslim, expressed his disgust at the "disrespect" and publicly condemned the conduct of his fellow Spaniards following the match.
"I am Muslim," he wrote on Instagram. "The chant of 'whoever doesn't jump is a Muslim' was heard. I know it was aimed at the opposing team and wasn't directed at me personally, but as a Muslim it doesn't make it any less disrespectful or any less intolerable.
"I understand that not all supporters behave this way, but to those who sing these things: using someone's religion as a taunt on the pitch makes you ignorant and racist. Football is meant to be enjoyed and celebrated, not used to demean people for who they are or what they believe."
Islamophobic Chants Under Police Investigation
It marks yet another uncomfortable episode for Spanish soccer, following a string of high-profile racism incidents in recent years, many of them targeting Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior during La Liga fixtures. The Brazilian showed his solidarity with Yamal by liking his Instagram post.
In 2025, five individuals received suspended prison sentences for racially abusing Vinicius Jr. during a La Liga clash between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano in 2022. The case was historic, as it was the first in Spain to classify racist abuse inside a stadium as a hate crime.
Local authorities have opened an investigation into the Islamophobic and xenophobic chanting that occurred during the Egypt fixture. The abuse persisted even after messages were displayed on the stadium screens warning fans that such conduct constitutes a criminal offence.
"Racist insults and chants are a disgrace to our society," Spain's justice minister, Félix Bolaños, wrote on X. "The far right will not leave any space free of their hatred, and those who stay silent today will be complicit. We will keep working toward a tolerant and respectful country for everyone."