Lamine Yamal had a furious reaction to Spain fans singing an anti-Muslim chant after La Roja’s 0-0 draw with Egypt on Thursday, reports claim.
Yamal started for Spain in the stalemate at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona and was substituted at half-time.
The fixture between two sides who had already qualified for the 2026 World Cup did not offer much action other than Hamdy Fathy’s red card six minutes from time but the main talking point was a discriminatory chant in the stands.
In the opening 10 minutes, home fans were heard chanting “bote, bote, bote musulman el que no bote”, which translates to “jump, jump, jump, whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim”.
The same song was heard again in the first half and shortly after half-time. On more than one occasion, a message flashed up on the big screen at the stadium telling fans: “We remind you the legislation to prevent violence in sport forbids and punishes the active participation in violent, xenophobic, homophobic or racist acts.”
The message was met with loud jeers.
According to The Athletic, the chant is regularly sung by Spain supporters but references the opposition rather than any religion.
Egypt is a country where the primary religion is Islam. Barcelona and Spain sensation Yamal, who has Moroccan heritage, is a practicing Muslim.
Lamine Yamal, arguably Spain’s best player, is a Muslim. Image: Getty
According to Cadena SER, Yamal was the only Spain player who did not applaud the supporters after the game and it’s also said that he left the stadium with his head down while escorted by security.
The RFEF, the Spanish football federation issued a statement in response to the chant, commenting: “RFEF condemn the chants and have instructed to send messages through the speakers of the stadium condemning all types of violence on a football pitch.”
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente, who gave Yamal his Spain debut as a 16-year-old, called the chants “intolerable” and demanded that the individuals be “removed from society”.
Yamal’s teammates also weighed in. Pedri, who plays with Yamal for club and country, said the players “have been shocked by the chants” and stated that “we all have to work together to stop this from happening in stadiums”.
Goalkeeper Joan Garcia added that Spain’s team are “absolutely against” any type of discrimination.
One of the favourites for the World Cup, Spain begin their campaign with a clash against Cape Verde on 15 June at Atlanta.
Drawn in Group H, they will also take on Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.
