Catalan police said on Wednesday they are investigating Islamophobic and xenophobic chants during a friendly football match between Spain and Egypt in Barcelona.
The chants were heard repeatedly from one section of the crowd during the pre-World Cup match, which ended in a draw and was attended by nearly 36,000 spectators.
During halftime, stadium screens displayed a message reminding spectators that participation in “violent, xenophobic, homophobic or racist acts” is prohibited and punishable under the law.
Some fans also jeered Egypt’s national anthem.
The Union of Islamic Communities of Catalonia expressed “outrage” and called for those responsible to be identified and sanctioned.
The incidents also drew widespread condemnation from Spanish politicians.
“Racist insults and chants embarrass us as a society. The far right will not leave any space free from their hatred, and those who remain silent today will be complicit,” Justice Minister Felix Bolanos said in a social media post Wednesday.
Conservative Popular Party spokesperson Ester Munoz also condemned the chants, calling them “lamentable and unacceptable.”
The far-right Vox party, however, doubled down on anti-Muslim rhetoric, with spokesman Ignacio Garriga saying: “What’s outrageous is that more stadiums are being used for Ramadan than for Spain’s national team to play in Catalonia. What’s outrageous is that Spaniards feel like foreigners in their own neighbourhoods.”
Police are working with prosecutors specialising in hate crimes to determine whether the incidents constitute a criminal offence, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
If the case does not meet the threshold for criminal charges, authorities could pursue administrative sanctions under Spain’s laws against violence, racism and xenophobia in sports.
