Khaberni - The Catalan police have launched a comprehensive investigation today, Wednesday, around "anti-Islamic" and xenophobic chants witnessed during the friendly match between the teams of Spain and Egypt, which was held on Tuesday evening at the "RCDE Stadium" in Barcelona - the stronghold of Espanyol team - within both sides’ preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
Spain's Coach Condemns Anti-Islamic Chants
The incident’s reverberations did not stop at the stadium stands, but reached to the highest authority in Spain; where the Minister of Justice, "Félix Bolaños", tweeted expressing his shock: "These racist insults embarrass us as a society."
For his part, Spain's team coach, Luis de la Fuente, did not hide his profound anger during the post-match press conference, which ended in a goalless draw, frankly saying: “I feel complete and absolute disgust towards any xenophobic behavior. Such actions are unworthy and do not belong in football.”
Lamine Jamal at the Eye of the Storm
These offensive chants towards Muslims come at a time when the hopes of the Spanish fans in the upcoming World Cup rely on their young star Lamine Jamal, a Muslim player of Moroccan descent, making those chants appear as "friendly fire" that scorches the fabric of the national team itself weeks before the launch of the global festivity.
The Egyptian National Team's Stand
This incident occurs at a time when the Egyptian team is preparing to enter the World Cup in Group Seven, which includes Belgium, New Zealand, and Iran, amidst a state of global solidarity with the Egyptian mission against these transgressions that strike a lethal blow to the values of "fair play."
Condemnation by the Spanish Football Association
On Tuesday evening, the Spanish Football Federation said that it "condemns any violent act inside the stadiums" and that it "joins the message calling for football against racism."
Its president, Rafael Lozano, considered that the chants were "isolated" and "should not be repeated."
