The Spanish national team must play their next international friendly with a partial stadium closure following a FIFA sanction for discriminatory chanting during the match against Egypt on 31 March. World football's governing body has also fined the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) $20,000 (approximately £15,000) for the incidents.
FIFA's Disciplinary Committee rejected the RFEF's arguments that the chants did not constitute discriminatory conduct. The committee noted the federation could not "persuasively maintain both that the chant was entirely harmless and that it warranted activation of anti-discrimination measures". The punishment requires Spain to close 15% of the stadium's capacity for their next friendly, with the empty seats concentrated primarily in the stands behind the goals.
Corrective measures
The sanction includes a clause allowing the closed seats to be filled by community groups, subject to FIFA approval. These can include families, students, or anti-discrimination organisations. The incident occurred at Barcelona's RCDE Stadium, where home fans were heard chanting an offensive song about Muslims around the 10th minute of the first half. The anti-discrimination message displayed on the stadium screens at the start of the second half was met with whistles from some sections of the crowd.
National team coach Luis de la Fuente called the events "intolerable". "Violent people use football to carve out a space for themselves," the manager said after the match, which ended in a 0-0 draw. The Egyptian Football Association condemned the chants as a "repugnant act of racism", but added that the acts of a small group of fans would not affect the close relations between the two federations.
Current sporting context
This sanction arrives during a period of excellent form for Spain, who are on a four-game winning streak. Their latest victory was a 1-2 away win against Croatia on 6 October, featuring a brace from Mikel Merino. The team, who lead their Euro 2028 qualifying group, have their next official fixture on 12 November away to the Czech Republic, a match listed on our fixtures page.
If Spain qualifies for the Nations League finals, the implementation of the punishment will be delayed until an empty date in the Euro 2028 qualifying phase next autumn. The RFEF, which condemned the chants after the incident, must now manage the practical consequences of this decision while the team maintains its flawless run of form.
The original report is at bbc.com
