Egypt-Spain friendly turns into crisis due to offensive chants
The Spanish media highlighted the controversial events that accompanied the friendly confrontation between the Egyptian and Spanish national teams, which was held on Tuesday evening in the city of Cornellà, as part of the preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
Although the match ended in a goalless draw, the atmosphere of the match was affected by unacceptable behavior from some Spanish fans, who launched chants of a racist nature targeting Muslim players, including Al-Amin Yamal, who chanted offensive slogans such as “Whoever does not jump is a Muslim,” along with other chants that carried political dimensions.
In its comments on what happened, the newspaper “Mundo Deportivo” expressed its dissatisfaction with the fans’ actions, considering that those chants harmed the atmosphere of the match. For its part, the “AS” newspaper explained that the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) would be awaiting the match’s referee’s report, in preparation for taking a decision on the possibility of imposing sanctions, which may range from financial fines to closing the stadium during subsequent matches.
In turn, the “Marca” newspaper described what happened as spoiling the ceremonial character of the match, noting that the Spanish national team goalkeeper Juan Garcia and coach De La Fuente were subjected to booing whistles, before the confrontation concluded with racist chants against... Muslims.
As for the Catalan newspaper “Sport”, it confirmed that the match, which came at the end of the international break, was not without these violations, as the offensive chants continued for several minutes, which cast a shadow on a friendly match that was supposed to be of a sporting nature.
