Anti-Muslim Chants Mar Spain-Egypt Friendly Draw

Spanish football faced fresh condemnation on Wednesday after anti-Muslim chants by fans marred a goalless friendly match between Spain and Egypt at Barcelona's RCDE Stadium on Tuesday evening.

The incident unfolded before a crowd of about 35,000 during the World Cup warmup game, which Spain hosted after plans to play in Qatar were scrapped due to regional conflict. Spectators loudly booed Egypt's national anthem ahead of kickoff. Around the 20th minute, sections of the crowd began chanting "bote, bote, bote, musulmán el que no bote," translating to "jump, jump, jump, whoever does not jump is a Muslim." The discriminatory slogan, directed at the Egyptian players from the predominantly Muslim nation, recurred multiple times in both halves. Stadium officials responded with warnings over the public address system and anti-racism messages on the big screens, but the match continued without interruption under FIFA protocols.

Lamine Yamal, the 18-year-old Barcelona forward of Moroccan descent who is Muslim, appeared visibly affected. He played the first half before being substituted and later left the pitch alone, avoiding the stands. On Instagram, Yamal addressed the chants directly....