Spain-Egypt Match: Fans Association Denies Ticket Purchase & Racism Claims

Spanish police have launched an investigation into alleged Islamophobic chants that occurred during a friendly match between Spain and Egypt on Tuesday, April 1, 2026. The incident, which took place at Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium in Barcelona, has drawn condemnation from football officials, players, and anti-racism groups.

Reports indicate that sections of the Spanish crowd repeatedly engaged in anti-Muslim chants throughout the first half of the game, which ended in a 0-0 draw. Fans were heard chanting “bote, bote, bote musulman el que no bote” – roughly translated as “jump, jump, jump, whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim” – while some also whistled during Egypt’s national anthem.

Stadium officials responded by displaying a message on the screen at halftime, and the stadium announcer read a statement urging supporters to refrain from xenophobic and racist remarks. The message was repeated in the second half, but was met with whistling from some sections of the crowd, according to ESPN.

“We remind you the legislation to prevent violence in sport forbids and punishes the active participation in violent, xenophobic, homophobic or racist acts.”

Message displayed on stadium screen

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) swiftly condemned the chants, stating its firm stance against racism in football. “The RFEF stands against racism in football and condemns any act of violence inside stadiums,” the federation posted on social media.

Spain’s coach, Luis de la Fuente, also expressed his outrage following the match. “I am repulsed by and absolutely reject any form of xenophobia or racism – it’s completely intolerable,” he said in a news conference. “Those [chanting] are a disgrace – and the majority [inside the stadium] whistled them. They are not representative of football. They take advantage of football, as they do in other areas of life. They need to be removed from society – the further away, the better.”

The incident occurred in a context where Egypt is a predominantly Muslim nation with Islam as its official state religion. Notably, one of Spain’s starting players, Lamine Yamal, is Muslim.

According to reports from El Mundo, the association denies purchasing the 1,900 tickets linked to the incident, reiterating that they are distanced from politics and are unaware of the origins of the racist chants.

Milagros Tolon, Spain’s minister of education, vocational training and sport, emphasized the importance of respect and coexistence in sports. “Sport is effort, hard work and talent, but also respect, solidarity and coexistence. Hate, racism and xenophobia have no place in stadiums or in our society,” she stated on Tuesday.

The police investigation is ongoing, and authorities are working to identify those responsible for the offensive chants. The incident has sparked a wider debate about racism and discrimination in Spanish football and the measures needed to address it.