BARCELONA (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – “I’m a Muslim, alhamdulillah.” Thus began Lamine Yamal’s post, which took to social media to express his outrage over yesterday’s 0-0 friendly match between Spain and Egypt, played at Espanyol’s stadium in Barcelona. “Yesterday at the stadium, the chant ‘whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim’ was heard. I know it was aimed at the opposing team and wasn’t a personal attack on me, but as a Muslim, I still find it disrespectful and intolerable. I understand that not all fans are like that, but to those who chant these chants, using a religion to insult those on the pitch makes them appear ignorant and racist. You have to enjoy football and supporting the team, not disrespect people for who they are or what they believe in,” Yamal wrote, before closing his posts by thanking the Red Furies fans present at the stadium and saying he’ll see everyone at the World Cup. Meanwhile, the Catalan police have already opened an investigation into the incident, and the government has also rushed to condemn the racist chants. FIFA, too, has threatened to punish the Spanish Football Federation.
Espanyol also took a stand, “firmly condemning the behavior of some fans,” but at the same time expressing “deep disappointment at the gratuitous and widespread smear campaign targeting its fans in the last few hours.”
On its website, the Egyptian Football Federation “reiterates its total condemnation of the deplorable racist incident that occurred at the Barcelona stadium during our national team’s friendly match against Spain. We condemn the actions of some fans in the stands who chanted racist slogans and phrases. We also emphasize our complete rejection and condemnation of these events during the match and the disrespect for the national anthem, which is absolutely unacceptable behavior in football stadiums and a negative phenomenon that we must work together to eliminate.”
The “Pharaohs” leaders also thanked their Spanish counterparts and the Spanish Ministry of Sport for their solidarity and assured that “what happened to some fans will in no way undermine the solid relationship that unites the two Federations.”
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(ITALPRESS).
