Spanish authorities investigate Islamophobic chants during a Spain-Egypt football match in Barcelona, with officials condemning the racist behaviour.
BARCELONA: Police in Spain have opened an investigation into Islamophobic and xenophobic chants heard during an international football friendly between Spain and Egypt.
Catalonia’s regional police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra, confirmed the probe into the incidents at Barcelona’s RCDE Stadium on social media platform X.
The match, a 0-0 draw played as a pre-World Cup friendly, was marred from the outset by jeers directed at Egypt’s national anthem.
Stadium authorities made repeated appeals over the public announcement system for fans to refrain from making offensive comments throughout the game.
Spain’s Justice Minister Felix Bolanos strongly condemned the incident, stating that racist insults and chants embarrass us as a society.
“The far right will not leave any space free from their hatred, and those who remain silent today will be complicit,” he added in a post on X.
Bolanos emphasised the government’s commitment to working for a country that is tolerant and respectful of everyone.
The Spanish football federation and national team coach Luis de la Fuente also denounced the behaviour of a section of the 35,000-strong crowd.
“It’s intolerable,” De la Fuente told reporters immediately after the match in the press conference room.
“Violent people use football to carve out a space for themselves,” the 64-year-old coach added, insisting they must be removed from society, identified, and kept as far away as possible.
Federation president Rafael Louzan described the incident as specific and isolated situations, while condemning such attitudes and stating they must not be repeated.
The friendly was relocated to Barcelona from Qatar due to the ongoing war in the Middle East and unfolded in a persistently hostile atmosphere.
This latest episode adds to a string of similar incidents that have overshadowed Spanish football in recent years, including the repeated racial abuse suffered by Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior.
