Spain star Lamine Yamal condemns anti-Muslim chants during friendly vs Egypt

Spain star Lamine Yamal on Wednesday condemned the antiMuslim chants made by Spanish fans during a friendly soccer game in the latest incident to dent the nations sporting image The Spanish government and the soccer federation also condemned the chants and police said they were investigating the behavior by fans during Tuesdays game between Spain and Egypt in the city of Barcelona Yamal who is Muslim said the chants made by part of the fans at RCDE Stadium were disrespectful and intolerable He said it didnt matter that the chants were not directed at him personally I understand that not all fans are like that but to those who chant these things Using a religion as a taunt on the field makes you look ignorant and racist he wrote on Instagram Football is for enjoying and cheering not for disrespecting people for who they are or what they believeRacist abuse against players are not uncommon in Spain Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior has often been subjected to racist taunts during soccer matches Sexism has also been an issue as Spanish soccer endured one of its most embarrassing incidents when thenfederation boss Luis Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips after the 2023 Womens World Cup finalHe was eventually found guilty of sexual assault Spain coach Luis de la Fuente also condemned the antiMuslim chants after the game which was part of the teams preparations for the World Cup I feel total and absolute repulsion towards any xenophobic or racist attitudes he said They are intolerable The game ended in a 00 draw The Egyptian Football Association decried the antiMuslim chants calling them a reprehensible racist act It also condemned the lack of respect shown when the nations anthem was played before the matchThese actions are entirely unacceptable in football stadiums and represent a negative phenomenon that must be collectively addressed and eradicated the EFA said in a statement It added that it highly appreciates the statements of rejection and condemnation issued by the Spanish Football Federation the Spanish Ministry of Sport as well as officials and football figures across Spain all of whom denounced the racist incidents witnessed during the match The EFA said it was working with FIFA officials and all relevant stakeholders and international institutions to prevent such offensive incidents from occurring in football stadiums worldwideWhat happened is completely unacceptable and FIFA remains committed to combating racism and discrimination in football it said We stress the importance of preventing any recurrence of such incidents and working diligently to eliminate this phenomenon altogether Egypt is a majorityMuslim country Hate racism and xenophobia have no place in stadiums or in our society Milagros Tolon the Spanish minister in charge of sports said Wednesday Catalonias regional police said we will investigate yesterdays Islamophobic and xenophobic chants at the RCDE Stadium during the friendly match SpainEgypt Barcelonabased club Espanyol condemned what it called racist behavior at its stadiumSuch actions are reprehensible and unacceptable do not represent the values of sport and must be firmly condemned and eradicated from all sporting venues Espanyol said The club claimed that its supporters were being unfairly blamed for the incident in a smear campaign and that the national team fans came from very diverse geographical and footballing backgrounds Last year an Espanyol fan accused of racially insulting Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams during a Spanish league game in 2020 accepted a deal to avoid prison timeSpain is due to play Saudi Arabia at the World Cup and also faces Cape Verde and Uruguay in Group H of the 48team tournament Egypt has games against Belgium New Zealand and Iran in Group G Spain was hosting Egypt for the game which had originally been expected to be played in Qatar before the region was affected by the Iran war A Finalissima game there between South American champion Argentina and European champion Spain was canceled after they couldnt agree to reschedule FIFA didnt immediately respond to a request for comment about Tuesdays chantsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever