FIFA has launched a disciplinary procedure on Tuesday against the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) over the “Musulmán el que no bote” chants during the Spain-Egypt friendly in Cornellà. The referee recorded the incidents and the RFEF activated anti-violence protocols. The Spanish federation will send a full dossier to FIFA in coming days.
The friendly match between Spain and Egypt took place on March 31 at the RCDE Stadium in Cornellà. During the game, part of the crowd chanted “Musulmán el que no bote” several times, as recorded in the match report by Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabakov.
At halftime, a message appeared on the scoreboard recalling legislation against xenophobic and racist acts, and announcements over the PA urged fans to refrain from disrespectful chants. However, the referee did not stop the match, as required by FIFA regulations. RFEF president Rafael Louzán condemned the behavior: “We condemn this type of attitudes” and called it an “isolated incident”, noting the overall good atmosphere.
The Egyptian federation lodged complaints, and Lamine Yamal, a Muslim player on the Spanish team, denounced it on social media: “Using a religion as mockery on a pitch makes you ignorant and racist people”. Coach Luis de la Fuente described it as “intolerable”. Catalan police Mossos d'Esquadra and the Hate Crimes Prosecutor are investigating.
The RFEF claims it followed anti-racism protocols and will argue to FIFA that messages were delayed on the referee's instructions to avoid a “call effect”. Potential sanctions include fines of at least 20,000 Swiss francs or a match with limited capacity.
