Spain’s Lamine Yamal has criticized anti-Muslim chants by Spanish fans during Spain’s friendly against Egypt, saying that such behavior should not be tolerated in football.The incident took place at the RCDE Stadium on Tuesday, where sections of the crowd were heard chanting: “Bute, Bute, Bute Muslim al-Qi No Bute”, which translates to “Jump, jump, jump, anyone who doesn’t jump is a Muslim”. The chant was heard again after the first half and immediately after the break.After the chants, a stadium announcement asked fans not to use racist, homophobic or xenophobic language, and the same message was shown on the big screen. The announcement was met with whistles from some sections of the crowd.Egypt is a Muslim majority country. The 18-year-old player from Spain, Yamal, is also a practicing Muslim and has spoken about his faith before.“I’m a Muslim, thank God,” he posted on Instagram.“Yesterday in the stadium, we heard the slogan ‘He who doesn’t jump is a Muslim’. I know it was directed at the opposing team and nothing towards me as a person, but as a Muslim it is disrespectful and we cannot tolerate it. “I understand that not all fanbases are like that, but people who chant: using religion as something to mock people in a football stadium leaves you as ignorant and racist people. Football is about enjoying and supporting people, not offending people for who they are or what they believe.”“Having said that, thanks to the fans for coming out to support. See you at the World Cup.”Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbelua also reacted to the incident, saying that despite what happened during the match, Spain is a tolerant country and not racist.The chant, usually used by Spanish supporters at matches, was in this case directed at the opposition, referring to the country rather than a specific individual.The Royal Spanish Football Federation condemned the chants after the match. Yamal’s Barcelona teammates Padre and John Garcia also spoke out against the incident. Spain’s Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports issued a similar message of condemnation on Wednesday.
