Fifa has fined the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) $20,000 and ordered a partial stadium closure for Spain’s next friendly match following Islamophobic chants during an international fixture against Egypt.
The incident occurred during a March World Cup warm-up match at RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, which ended in a 0-0 draw. Spanish supporters repeatedly chanted, “Who doesn’t jump is a Muslim” twice during the game, sasy The Independent.
After the chants were repeated, the stadium announcer issued a warning and an anti-discrimination message was displayed on the stadium scoreboard. Spanish police launched an investigation the following day, while Fifa initiated disciplinary proceedings against the RFEF.
Under the sanctions, the federation must close at least 15% of stadium capacity for Spain’s next friendly match, in addition to paying the fine.
The RFEF argued that the word “Muslim” was neither insulting nor pejorative. It asked Fifa to assess the incident under Article 17, which covers political, ideological, religious or offensive messages, rather than Article 15, which governs discrimination and racist abuse.
Fifa rejected the argument, ruling that Article 15 does not require explicit slurs and applies when a term is used in context as an insult, taunt or marker of inferiority.
Spain winger Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim, condemned the chants as “disrespectful and intolerable”, describing those responsible as “ignorant and racist”.
Yamal also spoke about his broader experiences with racism, saying he had faced indirect racist comments and looks “a thousand times” throughout his career.
The RFEF lost its initial appeal with Fifa and is taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Federation officials argue that the sanctions are disproportionately severe, saying staff acted quickly to stop the chants and that fans in attendance disapproved of the behaviour.
Source: https://www.tbsnews.net/sports/fifa-fines-spanish-federation-20000-over-islamophobic-chants-1575001
