▲ A scoreboard displaying a message urging spectators to refrain from discriminatory behavior during the Spain-Egypt match
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has decided to seek a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after facing sanctions from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) over Islamophobic chants shouted by fans during a friendly match between the Spanish and Egyptian national teams.
According to agencies such as AFP, the RFEF announced today (October 16, local time) that its appeal against the disciplinary measures imposed by FIFA regarding the chants during the Egypt match was dismissed by the FIFA Appeal Committee.
The incident occurred during an international friendly match between Spain and Egypt held on March 31 at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona, Spain.
During the first half of the match, religious and racial discriminatory chants and songs, such as "Whoever doesn't jump is a Muslim," erupted from the stands.
Egypt's state religion is Islam, and the vast majority of its population is Muslim.
During halftime, a warning message urging an end to such behavior was displayed on the stadium's scoreboard.
When the same message was repeated early in the second half, some spectators responded with boos.
The reckless behavior of some fans was also condemned by the Spanish national team, including Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), who is known as a devout Muslim, as well as by the football federation.
Initiating disciplinary proceedings, FIFA fined the Spanish federation 20,000 dollars (approximately 27 million won) on August 4—three weeks after Spain won the 2026 FIFA World Cup—and ordered the closure of at least 15 percent of the stadium seats for its next friendly match.
However, FIFA stated that subject to its approval, the closed seats could alternatively be allocated to members of the local community or specific groups, such as families, students, and anti-discrimination organizations.
In response, the RFEF appealed, arguing, "The word 'Muslim' is neither insulting nor derogatory," and "Furthermore, the behavior of the fans should be judged under provisions dealing with political, ideological, religious, or offensive messages, rather than provisions concerning discriminatory and racist insults."
However, FIFA did not accept this argument.
Following FIFA's dismissal of the appeal, the Spanish federation pushed back once again, stating, "The inappropriate behavior was detected through our own monitoring system, we urged the spectators to stop the chants, and we fully cooperated in identifying those responsible."
It also announced plans to appeal to CAS.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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