Barcelona, Spain – Catalan police have opened an investigation into “anti-Islam and xenophobic” chants heard during the friendly match between the Spanish and Egyptian national teams, which took place on Tuesday evening in Barcelona.
The match ended in a goalless draw, as part of both teams’ preparations for the 2026 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Police, via the “X” platform, stated that they are investigating the chants that were made inside the RCDE stadium, confirming that they were racist and anti-Islamic in nature, and occurred during the match.
According to official sources, these chants included offensive phrases from some fans, including the shocking chant: “Whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim,” in addition to whistling during the playing of the Egyptian national anthem, as well as verbal abuse directed at the players.
For his part, Luis de la Fuente, the coach of the Spanish national team, condemned what he described as the “shameful behavior” witnessed during the match, stressing his complete rejection of any manifestations of racism in stadiums.
De la Fuente said in comments after the match: “We must emphasize our rejection of these shameful chants from some of the fans. What happened is completely unacceptable.”
He noted that the organizers dealt quickly with the situation inside the stadium, by issuing immediate warnings after the chants were made, pointing out that “the majority of the fans rejected these behaviors in the stands.”
The coach concluded his remarks by emphasizing the need to confront such practices, saying: “There are those who exploit football for such bad behavior, and we must stand against it. Violence does not belong in this game, and it has no place in society.”
