Lamine Yamal urged Spain fans to remember that soccer is “to be enjoyed and encouraged,” with no place for the bigotry that tarred this week’s World Cup warmup against Egypt in Barcelona.
Chants of “whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim” were heard during the match at RCDE Stadium, usually home to La Liga’s Espanyol.
The deplorable Islamophobic sentiment was directed at the Egypt players, with around 90% of the country’s population Muslim. But Yamal, also Muslim, took offence to the “disrespect” and called out the behavior of his Spanish compatriots afterwards.
“I am Muslim,” he began, on Instagram. “The chant of ‘whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim’ was heard. I know it was directed at the rival team and wasn’t something personal against me, but as a Muslim person it doesn’t stop being disrespectful and something intolerable.
“I understand that not all fans are like this, but to those who sing these things: using a religion as a mockery on the field leaves you ignorant and racist people. Football is to be enjoyed and encouraged, not to disrespect people for who they are or what they believe in.”
Islamophobic Chants Under Police Investigation
It’s another uncomfortable moment for Spanish soccer, with several high-profile incidents of racism in recent years, many of which have been directed at Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior during La Liga matches. The Brazilian offered his public support to Yamal by liking his Instagram post.
In 2025, five people were given suspended prison sentences for racist abuse of Vinicius Jr during a La Liga match between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano in 2022. It was a landmark case because it was the first to classify racist abuse in a stadium in Spain as a hate crime.
Local police have launched an investigation into the Islamophobic and xenophobic nature of the chanting heard during the Egypt match. It had continued even after messages displayed on the stadium’s screen reminded fans that such behavior is a criminal offence.
“Racist insults and chants shame us as a society,” Spain’s justice minister, Félix Bolaños, posted on X. “The far right will not leave any space free of their hatred, and those who remain silent today will be complicit. We continue working for a tolerant and respectful country for all.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lamine Yamal Hits Out at Spain Fans Over Shocking Racist Chant.
