What was supposed to be a friendly match turned into a disgraceful spectacle. The game between Spain and Egypt (0-0) was planned as a farewell celebration for the national team, with their next fixture coming after the season ends and De la Fuente’s squad focused on the World Cup. However, the atmosphere at the RCDE Stadium was tarnished by racist and xenophobic chants coming from a section of the stands.
It began with whistles during Egypt’s national anthem before kick-off, and continued with chants such as “Muslim, the one who doesn’t jump.” This situation forced the activation of the anti-racism protocol during halftime, which could result in sanctions against the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), ranging from stadium closure to financial fines.
After the match, the RFEF, its president Louzán, and coach De la Fuente all strongly condemned the incident and apologized to Egypt. A significant portion of the international press also expressed shock over what happened at the RCDE Stadium.
“Shameful racist chants from Spanish fans” was the headline used by Egyptian newspaper WinWin to report on the events. “Spain witnessed embarrassing moments at the stadium, where some fans tarnished the festive football atmosphere. … This constitutes a serious offense that damages the image of Spanish football internationally, especially with the 2030 World Cup just around the corner,” the outlet stated.
Nevertheless, Louzán claimed that these racist and xenophobic chants do not jeopardize the World Cup final.
“The match was marred by Islamophobia in the stands” – Brazilian newspaper O Globo used this headline to report on the chants and boos heard at the RCDE Stadium, and also commented on Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim. “By expressing themselves this way, Spanish fans attacked not only the religion of the Egyptians, but also that of one of the biggest stars of their own national team,” the outlet concluded.
Argentine outlet TyC also weighed in with the headline “Spain’s repulsive chant,” noting that the Barcelona star had to hear insults from his own fans targeting the religion he practices.
The focus was not on the pitch.
Spain 0 – Egypt 0
The Athletic also reported on these incidents, emphasizing both the chants heard in the stands and the announcement made over the stadium’s public address system during halftime. Other outlets, such as ESPN (“Fans warned for anti-Muslim chants”) and the BBC (“Spanish football federation condemns racist chants”), also covered the story.