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Lamine Yamal calls racist chants during Spain vs Egypt “intolerable” as authorities launch probe into Islamophobic abuse that overshadowed the friendly.
Lamine Yamal hit back at the xenophobic abuse hurled by sections of fans during the Spain v Egypt friendly (Credit: X)
There is no place for hate in football.
Lamine Yamal has strongly condemned the racist and Islamophobic chants that marred Spain’s goalless draw against Egypt in a pre-World Cup friendly in Barcelona, calling them “disrespectful and intolerable.”
Match Overshadowed By Abuse
The game, played at Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium in front of around 35,000 spectators, was repeatedly disrupted by offensive behaviour from sections of the crowd.
Egypt’s national anthem was jeered before kickoff, while chants with xenophobic undertones were heard during the match.
🚨 Horrific bigotry and religious discrimination-related chants being chanted by a large majority of Spanish fans in the stadium.“Whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim”… while their best player being Muslim. 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/hFm9hZC4ss
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) March 31, 2026
Authorities were forced to intervene multiple times. Stadium announcements urged fans to refrain from offensive remarks, with messages displayed on the big screen at half-time and reiterated early in the second half.
Despite this, parts of the crowd responded with whistles.
Yamal Speaks Out
After the match, Yamal addressed the incident directly on Instagram.
“Yesterday at the stadium, the chant of ‘the one who doesn’t jump is a Muslim’ was heard,” he wrote. “I know I was going for the rival team, and it wasn’t something personal against me, but as a Muslim person, it doesn’t stop being disrespectful and something intolerable.”
The 18-year-old, who was making his 26th appearance for Spain, did not hold back in his criticism.
“I understand that not all fanatics are like this, but to those who sing these things: using a religion as a mockery in a field leaves you ignorant and racist people,” he added.
“Football is to be enjoyed and encouraged, not to disrespect people for who they are or what they believe in.”
Authorities Launch Investigation
Catalonia’s regional police force confirmed they have opened an investigation into the incident, describing the chants as Islamophobic and xenophobic.
Spanish football authorities and several political leaders also condemned the behaviour, which is the latest in a series of racism-related incidents in Spanish football.
(with agency inputs)
April 01, 2026, 8:41 PM IST
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