FIFA fines Spain $20,000 over anti-Muslim chants at Egypt friendly

BARCELONA — FIFA has fined the Spanish Football Federation $20,000 and ordered a partial stadium closure over Islamophobic chants at a friendly against Egypt on 31 March, according to The New Arab. The federation plans to appeal.

The New Arab reported on Friday that FIFA's appeals committee upheld a sanction first issued by its disciplinary committee. The outlet is the only source for the details in this report, and Zenga News has not independently confirmed them.

The sanctions

According to The New Arab, the federation must pay the fine and close at least 15% of the seating at Spain's next home friendly. FIFA said the affected seats could instead go to groups including families, students and anti-discrimination organisations, the outlet reported.

FIFA's disciplinary judges said "harsh sanctions were necessary", according to The New Arab. The outlet said the judges also acknowledged that this was the federation's first offence and that officials had acted quickly once the chants began.

The New Arab reported that FIFA rejected an argument from the federation that the word "Muslim" is not inherently insulting. FIFA ruled that otherwise neutral language can become discriminatory when it is used as a taunt or as a marker of inferiority, according to the outlet.

What happened at the match

The chants were heard during a 0-0 draw at Espanyol's RCDE Stadium in Barcelona, The New Arab said. Sections of the crowd chanted "Whoever doesn't jump is Muslim". Egypt's national anthem was also jeered before kick-off, according to the outlet.

Spain winger Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim, condemned the chants after the match, The New Arab reported.

"Using a religion as a taunt on the field makes you look ignorant and racist." — Lamine Yamal, Spain winger

The outlet said Yamal described the chants as disrespectful and intolerable.

Federation response

The Spanish federation also condemned the chants, according to The New Arab. It co-operated with authorities seeking to identify those responsible, the outlet said. Stadium announcements during the match called on supporters to stop discriminatory behaviour.

The New Arab reported that the federation said on Friday it considered the punishment disproportionately severe. It said it would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Spanish police opened an investigation the day after the match into what they described as "Islamophobic and xenophobic" chanting, according to the outlet. The New Arab did not report the outcome of that investigation.

Background

The New Arab said the incident came during a wider debate over racism and discrimination in football. It noted that FIFA's current anti-racism framework includes a crossed-arm gesture that lets players and officials report racist abuse during matches.

The outlet said FIFA has imposed other sanctions this year for breaches of its anti-discrimination rules. These include a fine against the Israeli Football Association over its handling of racist behaviour by Beitar Jerusalem supporters, according to The New Arab.

The outlet also reported that the March match took place before Spain won the 2026 World Cup. It said Spain beat Argentina in the final in July. The New Arab's text was cut off at the point where it began to discuss the Egypt match further, and no additional detail from that passage is available.

It was not clear from the source when Spain's next home friendly will be played. The source also did not say when the Court of Arbitration for Sport might hear the appeal.