Yamal strongly denounced the racist and Islamophobic chants that were heard during the Spain national football team’s 0-0 draw with the Egypt national football team in a friendly at RCDE Stadium on Tuesday.
Spanish police have started an inquiry after derogatory chants directed at the visiting team were heard during the first half. After the half-time break, the stadium management showed anti-xenophobia messages, and even at the beginning of the second half, though some parts of the crowd reacted with whistles.
Yamal, who is a Muslim, shared his sadness in a social media post after the match. The 18-year-old winger called the chants “disrespectful and intolerable” and reminded that football should be a place of uniting people rather than discriminating against them.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation also released a statement condemning the episode, emphasizing its commitment to fighting racial discrimination in football. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente described the behaviour as “intolerable” and appealed for the culprits to be found out and banned.
The match, rescheduled from Qatar because of regional tensions, saw Spain lose their lead in the FIFA rankings despite having most of the ball.
