The friendly match between the national teams of Egypt and Spain at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona was marred by an incident that sparked widespread controversy after racist chants were heard from some members of the Spanish crowd, consisting of racist remarks against Muslims, which caused great outrage within the football community.
Lamine Yamal, a player for Barcelona and the Spanish national team, expressed his rejection of these chants in a post on his social media account, saying: “I am a Muslim, and praise be to God. Yesterday at the stadium, a chant was heard: ‘Whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim’.”
He added: “I know it was directed at the opposing team and not at me personally, but as a Muslim, this chant remains disrespectful and unacceptable.”
Yamal continued: “I understand that not all fans are like this, but for those who chant such things; using religion as a joke at the stadium makes you look ignorant and racist. Football is for fun and support, not for disrespecting people because of their identity or beliefs.”
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The Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo noted that Yamal was not alone in condemning these chants; Brazilian Vinícius Júnior, who has himself been subjected to racism on numerous occasions, showed his full support for his young teammate’s post by liking it.
Vinícius Júnior (25), the Real Madrid star, knows all too well what it is like to face unpleasant situations on the pitch, particularly racism.
www.mundodeportivo.com
Therefore, the Brazilian player did not hesitate to show his support for Lamine Yamal’s post regarding what happened during the Spain v Egypt match at the RCDE Stadium, where Vinícius liked the Barcelona player’s post.
He was joined by French star Paul Pogba and a number of other football stars, who expressed their strong disapproval of the use of religion as a tool for abuse in the stands.
Moroccan star Achraf Hakimi, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, was quick to show his support for Yamal, leaving a comment featuring a prayer emoji as a sign of solidarity with the Spanish player.