FIFA has fined Spain $20,000 and ordered a partial stadium closure for the national team’s next friendly after supporters twice chanted Islamophobic slogans during a match against Egypt in March. Al Jazeera reported that the sanctions followed incidents at the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, the home ground of LaLiga club…...
FIFA has fined Spain $20,000 and ordered a partial stadium closure for the national team’s next friendly after supporters twice chanted Islamophobic slogans during a match against Egypt in March.
Al Jazeera reported that the sanctions followed incidents at the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, the home ground of LaLiga club Espanyol, where some Spanish supporters chanted, “Who doesn’t jump is a Muslim” during a World Cup warm-up match that ended in a 0-0 draw.
Following the second occurrence of the chant, the stadium announcer issued a warning, while a message condemning discriminatory behaviour was displayed on the scoreboard.
Spain winger Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim, condemned the chants after the match, describing them as disrespectful and intolerable and calling those responsible “ignorant and racist”.
Spanish police launched an investigation the following day, while FIFA subsequently initiated disciplinary proceedings against the Spanish football federation (RFEF).
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The RFEF argued that the word ‘Muslim’ was “neither insulting nor pejorative”, maintaining that the supporters’ conduct should be assessed under FIFA’s Article 17, which covers political, ideological, religious or offensive messages, rather than Article 15, which addresses discrimination and racist abuse.
However, FIFA’s disciplinary committee rejected the federation’s argument, stating that Article 15 does not require the explicit use of a slur for conduct to qualify as discriminatory.
The committee said a term could constitute discrimination depending on its context and use as “an insult, taunt, or marker of inferiority”.
FIFA subsequently fined the RFEF $20,000 and ordered the closure of at least 15 per cent of available seats at Spain’s next friendly.