Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal spoke out against Islamophobic chants during Spain’s match against Egypt.
Published April 3, 2026
Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa says Spain is a tolerant country and not racist despite Islamophobic chants during national team matches this week.
During Spain’s friendly match against Egypt at Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium in Cornella on Tuesday, a section of the crowd sang “He who doesn’t jump is a Muslim”.
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Spanish national team forward Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim, criticized the chanters as “ignorant and racist.”
Arbeloa defended Spain on Friday, saying racist attitudes must be eliminated.
“I don’t think Spain is a racist country. If it were, there would be problems in every stadium every weekend,” the Spaniard told reporters.
“I have always believed that all racist attitudes must be eradicated from stadiums and society.…Spain, as a country, must continue to fight to eliminate these attitudes.”
“(However) I think we are a great country and very tolerant. We shouldn’t generalize in a situation like this.”
Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior has been in the spotlight in recent years after being subjected to racist assaults at several stadiums around the country.
In January 2023, Atlético Madrid fans hung a statue of the Brazilian forward on a bridge near Real Madrid’s training ground.
Four months later, Vinicius faced abuse from a fan at Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium, gaining worldwide support for his fight against racism.
In 2025, five Real Valladolid fans were found guilty of hate crimes after shouting racist abuse at Vinicius during a 2022 match, the first such conviction in Spain for insults at a soccer stadium.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick praised teenager Yamal for making a “great statement” in condemning those responsible for the abuse.
“We support inclusion. … It’s frustrating that a few idiots don’t understand this,” Frick said.
“We all want to be respected, no matter the color of our skin, our religion or our region. It’s time to change this mindset.”
Atlético coach Diego Simeone said the issue had to do with a lack of respect in the world.
“This is a social problem on a global level, not just in Spain, Argentina or Brazil,” he said.
“The respect that was lost many years ago – respect for parents, school teachers, police, club managers, coaches, presidents – today it’s gone. And we don’t have it.”
Catalan police said they were investigating the chant, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the incident as “unacceptable.”
“We cannot allow an uncivil minority to corrupt the reality of Spain, a country of diversity and tolerance,” he said.
