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Apr 01, 2026

Spain's Football Federation Condemns Islamophobic Chants in Egypt Friendly

AI Summary
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and coach Luis de la Fuente have strongly condemned anti-Muslim chants that marred a pre-World Cup friendly match between Spain and Egypt in Barcelona.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and coach Luis de la Fuente have condemned Islamophobic chants that disrupted the 0-0 draw with Egypt in Barcelona during a pre-World Cup friendly.

The incident occurred when Egypt's national anthem was jeered, prompting the public announcement system at RCDE Stadium to appeal to fans to refrain from making offensive comments.

This event is part of a string of similar incidents that have overshadowed Spanish football in recent years, including the racial abuse of Real Madrid's Brazilian attacker Vinicius Junior.

RFEF president Rafael Louzan described the chants as "specific and isolated situations" and emphasized that they must not be repeated.

De la Fuente also condemned the behavior of a section of the 35,000-strong crowd, calling it "intolerable" and stating that such individuals "must be removed from society, identified, and kept as far away as possible."

The game was moved from Qatar due to the war in the Middle East and was played in a hostile environment.

Spain's coach made 10 changes from their previous friendly win over Serbia, with Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal being the only player to keep his place.

Egypt were without their star player, Mohamed Salah, who has been sidelined with a muscle problem.