- FIFA upheld sanctions against the Spanish Football Federation following discriminatory chants by fans during a friendly match against Egypt in March 2026
- Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim, publicly condemned the behaviour, calling it disrespectful and unacceptable
- The RFEF rejected the ruling and is now escalating the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
FIFA has ruled against the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) following a controversy sparked by supporters at an international friendly last March, handing the federation a fine and a stadium restriction that Spanish officials are now fighting to overturn.
Source: Facebook
The sanctions, which include a fine of approximately KSh 2.6 million and an order to block off at least 15% of seats for Spain's next home friendly, stem from discriminatory chants heard at the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona during a goalless draw between Spain and Egypt.
Stadium officials responded in real time by broadcasting an anti-discrimination message on the scoreboard and reinforcing security in the section where the chanting originated.
Lamine Yamal speaks out
Spain international Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim, did not hold back in his response to the incident.
He described the chants directed at Muslims as deeply disrespectful and unacceptable, and went further to criticise those involved for what he called racist and ignorant conduct.
His words added significant weight to the public outcry that followed the match.
Spanish police opened an investigation the day after the game, and FIFA subsequently launched its own disciplinary proceedings against the federation.
The RFEF pushed back against the findings, arguing that the word "Muslim" was not in itself offensive and that the incident fell under FIFA's rules on political, ideological and religious messaging rather than anti-discrimination regulations.
The federation also contended that similar penalties involving stadium closures had not been consistently applied elsewhere, and therefore considered the sanction disproportionate.
FIFA dismissed the appeal entirely, clarifying that a word or phrase can carry discriminatory intent based on how it is used, particularly when deployed to insult, taunt or demean a group of people.
With its appeal rejected, the RFEF is now taking its case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the highest authority in international sports dispute resolution, in a bid to have the ruling overturned.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
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