Lamine Yamal Speaks Out After Islamophobic Chants In Spain Friendly

‎Spanish police opened an investigation on Wednesday into Islamophobic and xenophobic chants heard during Tuesday’s friendly against Egypt.

‎The incident, which occurred at the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, involved Spain supporters chanting “who doesn’t jump is a Muslim” during the goalless draw.

‎The behaviour drew strong condemnation from Spain’s football authorities and the government.

‎Justice Minister Felix Bolanos denounced the chants on the social media platform X, reiterating the ‌leftist government’s stance against the rise ⁠of the far ‌right, which it associates with growing racism and xenophobia.

‎”Racist ​insults and chants shame us as a society. The far right will not leave ​any space free of its hatred, and those who remain silent today are complicit,” he wrote.

‎The incident underscored ongoing concerns about racism in Spanish football, an issue repeatedly seen in cases involving Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinícius Jr.

‎Despite the stadium displaying warnings on overhead screens that racist and xenophobic behaviour is a criminal offence, the chants persisted.

‎Spain coach Luis de la Fuente later condemned the actions, calling the fans’ behaviour unacceptable.

‎”They are not representative of football. They take advantage of football, as they do in other areas of life. We ‌need to isolate these people from society,” he ​said.

‎The Spanish Football Federation said in a ‌message on social media that it “stands against racism in football and condemns any act of violence inside stadiums”.

‎Catalonia’s regional police force, Mossos d’Esquadra, said on Wednesday they had opened an ⁠investigation into the incident, ⁠without providing further ‌details.

‎Lamine Yamal calls out on the chant 

‎Clearly, these chants were aimed at provoking the Egyptian team, but they also affected Lamine Yamal (18), who left the stadium visibly distressed, as seen in several videos circulating on social media.

‎The Barcelona player did not take long to respond, stating on his Instagram account, “Yesterday at the stadium, the chant ‘if you don’t jump, you’re Muslim’ was heard. I know it was aimed at the opposing team and not meant as a personal attack on me, but as a Muslim, it is still disrespectful and completely unacceptable,” his message began.

‎”Yesterday at the stadium, the chant ‘if you don’t jump, you’re Muslim’ was heard. I know it was aimed at the opposing team and not meant as a personal attack on me, but as a Muslim, it is still disrespectful and completely unacceptable.

‎”I understand that not all fans are like this, but to those who sing these things: using a religion as a joke in a stadium only shows your ignorance and racism.

‎”Football is meant to be enjoyed and to support your team, not to disrespect people for who they are or what they believe in.

‎”With that said, thank you to everyone who came to support us. See you at the World Cup.”