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FILE – Spain’s Lamine Yamal controls the ball during the international friendly soccer match between Spain and Egypt in Barcelona, Spain, March 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Joan Monfort\/AP<\/p>\n
FILE – Alaves’ Nahuel Tenaglia tries to block Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior during a La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Alaves in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 21, 2026.<\/p>\n
Manu Fernandez\/AP<\/p>\n
FILE – The former president of Spain’s soccer federation Luis Rubiales passes a police van as he leaves after testifying at the National Court in Madrid, Sept. 15, 2023.<\/p>\n
Manu Fernandez\/AP<\/p>\n
FILE – Spain’s Alexia Putellas, Jennifer Hermoso and Irene Paredes ,from left, celebrate with the trophy at the end of the Women’s World Cup soccer final between Spain and England at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, Aug. 20, 2023.<\/p>\n
Abbie Parr\/AP<\/p>\n
MADRID (AP) \u2014 First came the racist abuse against Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior. Then the unwanted kiss by the nation’s top soccer official. And now Spain is dealing with the fallout of anti-Muslim chants during a friendly match against Egypt.<\/p>\n
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Success on the pitch for both Spain\u2019s women and men\u2019s teams has been partially overshadowed in recent years by incidents of racism, sexism and xenophobia.<\/p>\n
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As the World Cup approaches, concerns have been raised about whether meaningful cultural change is happening in Spain, one of the title favorites.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a very good image for Spain right now, but we can\u2019t mistake these acts by minority groups, usually the ultra groups, with the actions of the majority of fans in Spain,\u201d said Esteban Ibarra, head of the Madrid-based Movement Against Intolerance, Racism and Xenophobia.<\/p>\n
Spain is one of the co-hosts of the 2030 World Cup, and cleaning up its image abroad is seen as a priority. The Spanish government and local soccer officials have been working hard to dismiss the notion that Spain is a racist country.<\/p>\n
They have called recent incidents in soccer \u2014 including the anti-Muslim chants last month \u2014 isolated cases that can be blamed mostly on the actions of a minority of radical fans.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe first thing we must bear in mind is that these acts, which we condemn in the strongest possible terms, have been perpetrated by a group of people who in no way represent the vast majority of Spanish soccer fans,\u201d Spain’s Higher Council for Sports, the nation’s top sports authority, told The Associated Press in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe chants were deplorable and cannot be repeated,” it said. “We are confident that the Spanish men and women attending the World Cup this summer will support our team with passion and always with respect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lamine Yamal speaks out<\/p>\n
Spain was drawn into a World Cup group that includes Saudi Arabia, an overwhelmingly Muslim country.<\/p>\n
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It was in the March 31 friendly against Egypt \u2014 another predominantly Muslim nation \u2014 that a group of Spanish fans sang the anti-Muslim chants that made headlines worldwide. They also jeered Egypt’s national anthem in the match in Barcelona.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese actions are entirely unacceptable in football stadiums and represent a negative phenomenon that must be collectively addressed and eradicated,\u201d the Egyptian Football Association said.<\/p>\n
The chants happened despite the presence of Spain star forward Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim. On the next day, he called the chants disrespectful and intolerable, and said it didn\u2019t matter that they were not directed at him personally.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand that not all fans are like that, but to those who chant these things: Using a religion as a taunt on the field makes you look ignorant and racist,\u201d the 18-year-old Yamal said. \u201cFootball is for enjoying and cheering, not for disrespecting people for who they are or what they believe.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Spanish police opened an investigation into the behavior of the fans during the game, and FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against the Spanish soccer federation.<\/p>\n
The Spanish federation has used the popularity of Yamal as an example of how the recent incidents don\u2019t represent the nation\u2019s fanbase as a whole. It noted that Yamal’s shirt is the best-selling Spain jersey and that he is the most sought-after player everywhere the team goes.<\/p>\n
The federation also noted several actions and campaigns that have been taking place in Spain, with the participation of the government and other soccer entities, against intolerance and discrimination in sports.<\/p>\n
Abuse against Vin\u00edcius sparked action against racism<\/p>\n
Spain was widely criticized for its lack of action against racism in soccer after Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vin\u00edcius said he was racially abused in a Spanish league game in Valencia in 2023. Vin\u00edcius, who is Black, said at the time that the Spanish league \u201cnow belongs to racists\u201d and Spain \u201cis seen as a racist country.\u201d<\/p>\n
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He has since nuanced his description of Spain, but continues to speak up against racism in the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not saying that Spain or Germany or Portugal are racist countries, but there are racists in these countries, and in Brazil and other countries as well,\u201d Vin\u00edcius said after praising Yamal for his condemnation of the anti-Muslim chants last month. \u201cBut if we keep fighting together, I think future players and people in general won\u2019t have to go through this again.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was widespread support for Vin\u00edcius after the 2023 match in which he threatened to leave the field in Valencia after a few members of ultra groups called him \u201cmonkey.\u201d<\/p>\n
The number of cases of racial abuse against the Brazil international decreased as authorities started to take more significant action. The first conviction for racism-related cases in professional soccer in Spain came after Vin\u00edcius\u2019 repeated complaints, and fans were punished in other cases as well.<\/p>\n
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A recent Supreme Court ruling set a precedent for more severe sentences in cases of intolerance in sports, another step forward for Spain in the fight against discriminatory actions.<\/p>\n
Federation says it has changed since the Rubiales scandal <\/p>\n
Not long after the abuse against Vin\u00edcius, the Spanish soccer federation faced another scandal involving the behavior of then-federation president Luis Rubiales.<\/p>\n
Rubiales resigned and was eventually found guilty of sexual assault for grabbing player Jenni Hermoso’s head and kissing her on the lips after Spain won the 2023 Women’s World Cup final.<\/p>\n
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Critics said the scandal highlighted a culture of sexism in Spanish soccer.<\/p>\n
The federation says the incident prompted internal change, noting that 50% percent of its board of directors is now composed of women, who are also in several top managerial positions.<\/p>\n
Spanish fans expected to behave at the World Cup<\/p>\n
During the World Cup, the federation does not expect problems involving Spanish fans, in part because it can try to keep members of radical fan groups from buying tickets for Spain\u2019s matches by monitoring the identity of those making mass purchases.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIn theory, during the World Cup there isn\u2019t really the risk that these types of cases will happen,” Ibarra said. \u201cEspecially now that Spain is on alert because of the international repercussion of the recent incidents, and more severe measures are expected against these Spanish ultra groups that are responsible for these acts.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Spanish government said it has been working for years “in a coordinated and effective manner with government agencies, state security forces, federations, clubs and fans to prevent a few hooligans from tarnishing our sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
The government also noted it has \u201cone of the most advanced systems in Europe\u201d to combat intolerance acts, with an anti-violence commission in place to coordinate actions by authorities, prosecutors and other institutions involved.<\/p>\n
The men\u2019s team heads to the World Cup as the defending European champion. Since its disappointing round-of-16 elimination in the World Cup in Qatar, Spain also won the Nations League in 2023 and was runner-up last year.<\/p>\n
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