Fifa upholds Spain sanction over chants at Egypt friendly

Fifa’s Appeal Committee has rejected Spain’s appeal against punishment for racist chants during a friendly against Egypt on March 31, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced on Friday. The decision leaves Spain facing a US$20,000 fine and the closure of at least 15 per cent of the stadium for its next home friendly.

Part of the crowd at Cornella, Espanyol’s home ground, chanted “whoever doesn’t jump is Muslim” during the match. Fifa’s disciplinary committee imposed the sanctions on August 4.

Federation points to its response

The RFEF said its own monitoring mechanisms detected the misconduct. It said announcements urged the crowd to stop chanting at half-time, during the second half and on the stadium video screens.

The federation said it had cooperated fully to help identify those responsible. Despite those steps, its appeal against Fifa’s punishment was rejected. The RFEF said it would now appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The sanction applies to Spain’s next home friendly. The required closure covers at least 15 per cent of the stadium.

Chants condemned after match

Spain forward Lamine Yamal, who started against Egypt, called the chants “a lack of respect and something intolerable” at the time. Yamal is Muslim and plays for Barcelona, Espanyol’s local rivals. He was born in a suburb near the Cornella stadium.

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente also described the chants as “intolerable”. Speaking after the match, he said: “Violent individuals exploit football to carve out a space for themselves.”

“They must be removed from society, identified, and the further away the better,” de la Fuente added. The Egyptian Football Association issued a statement expressing its “total condemnation of the vile racist incident” by some spectators who “went beyond the limits”.

What happens next

Spain’s appeal to Fifa has failed, but the federation has said it will take the case to CAS. For now, the punishment announced by Fifa’s disciplinary committee remains a US$20,000 fine and a partial stadium closure for Spain’s next home friendly.

The RFEF reiterated that its monitoring mechanisms detected the misconduct, that announcements urged the crowd to stop chanting and that it had cooperated fully to identify those responsible.