The international match between Spain and Egypt, played on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at the Cornella stadium of the Espanyol club in Barcelona, was marked by multiple racist and xenophobic incidents in the stands, sparking outrage on the Iberian Peninsula.
This friendly match, which ended in a 0-0 draw between Spain and Egypt, marked the return of the Spanish national team, La Roja, to Catalan soil after 4 years. However, sadly, several hundred so-called supporters had other intentions!
Before the match, the Egyptian national anthem was heavily booed by a section of the crowd. Hostility escalated significantly when, in the 10th minute of the game, the chant “those who don’t jump are Muslim” echoed from the stands, chanted by ultras groups and then by a large part of the stadium. Racist insults accompanied every touch of the ball by the Egyptian players throughout the first half. These serious incidents did not trigger FIFA’s anti-racism protocol, which calls for match stoppage, suspension, or abandonment in case of persistent misconduct by the crowd. It was only at halftime that a simple reminder message about the law was displayed on the screens of the Barcelona stadium.
In the stadium, the Catalan Minister of Sports, Berni Álvarez, strongly criticized the slow response from FIFA and the Spanish football federation, denouncing the presence of far-right groups within the ultras movement. The Catalonian government announced an investigation entrusted to the Mossos d’esquadra police.
On the Spanish side, the Minister of Justice rebuked the “unacceptable behaviors” in “a country of welcome, respect, and coexistence,” while Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente expressed his “total disgust” towards these racist acts. However, the most commented statement came from Yamine Lamal, the prodigious player from Barca:
“I am Muslim. (…) Using a religion as a provocation on the field makes you ignorant and racist” wrote the star forward of La Roja, urging not to generalize all supporters.
The repercussions of this incident could lead to consequences for the Spanish national football team, as FIFA, now armed with all the necessary evidence, could enforce Article 15 of its disciplinary code, which stipulates fines, matches behind closed doors, sporting penalties, and even exclusion from competitions for discriminatory words or acts based on religion, race, or origin.
Regardless of the potential sanctions, this draw, both on the field and in the stands, serves as a serious warning for Spain, which will co-host the future 2030 World Cup with Morocco and Portugal.
