Lamine Yamal’s response to Islamophobic chanting shows maturity and puts others to shame

Lamine Yamal responded in exemplary fashion to offensive anti-Muslim chants during Spain vs Egypt friendly in Barcelona

The sickening images went viral on Tuesday night and the story hasn’t been far from sports headlines since. Sizeable sections of the Spain support revelled in Islamophobic chanting during the match against Egypt at the RCDE Stadium in Cornellà de Llobregat, Barcelona.

An anti-discrimination message had to be displayed on the large screens inside the stadium after fans on several occasions chanted “musulmán el que no bote” – which roughly means, “if you’re not jumping, you’re a Muslim”.

Fans were also heard whistling and booing the Egyptian national anthem and the visiting players who knelt and kissed the ground before leaving the pitch at the interval.

The game was not paused or delayed at any point, leading many to question why anti-discrimination protocols were not activated. The chanting was loud and clear and the players, coaches and others inside the stadium cannot have been oblivious to it.

Official response from the Spanish national team

The reaction from many quarters has been fairly predictable and underwhelming. The typical, corporate-toned condemnations of offensive behaviour in general, with few lacking the courage to directly address the vile nature of the behaviour of those particular fans at that specific moment and call it unacceptable.

“The RFEF stands against racism in football and condemns any act of violence inside stadiums,” read a social media post from the Spanish Football Federation, without reference to the specific incidents.

Meanwhile, national team head coach Luís de la Fuente did go further, to his credit, but he still opened his comments with a condemnation hedged by generic and hypothetical language, rather than confronting the issue head on.

“I am repulsed by and absolutely reject any form of xenophobia or racism – it’s completely intolerable,” De la Fuente said in his press conference after the game.

“I don’t know exactly what the protocol is, but I think it was the right decision to display the message on the scoreboard and make the announcement. Those [chanting] are a disgrace – and the majority [inside the stadium] whistled them. There’s nothing else to say.

“They are not representative of football. They take advantage of football, as they do in other areas of life. They need to be removed from society – the further away, the better.”

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Lamine Yamal’s response to offensive chanting by Spain fans

Perhaps the bravest and most mature response has come from the man who has every right to feel the most aggrieved by the chanting: Spain’s superstar winger Lamine Yamal, who is a practicing Muslim. The FC Barcelona attacker took to social media on Wednesday to issue a statement on the matter.

“I am Muslim, alhamdulillah [thanks be to God]. In the stadium there were chants of ‘If you don’t jump, you’re a Muslim.’ I know it was against the opposition and nothing personal, but as a Muslim it is still disrespectful and completely intolerable,” Lamine Yamal posted on Instagram.

“I understand it’s not all supporters, but to those that that chant these things: using religion as a way of mocking others inside a stadium makes you appear ignorant and racist people.

“Football is to be enjoyed, to show your support, not to disrespect others for who they are or what they believe in. Having said that, thank you to those who came to support us, we’ll see you at the World Cup.”

Lamine Yamal, who, remember, is just 18-years-old, is to be commended for his measured tone in reacting to something that understandably affects him personally.

No player should have to hear such chants, but it must be utterly demoralising to hear it from those who have supposedly come to support you.

Lamine Yamal leads by example

It was no surprise to see Lamine Yamal leave the pitch at full time without joining his teammates in a lap of appreciation for the fans.

While it certainly wasn’t the whole stadium joining in the offensive chanting, his response seemed the most appropriate and gave the correct message in the circumstances; what thanks did he owe them after they revelled in the hatred of a key part of his identity?

Crucially, also, in Lamine Yamal’s statement he calls out the behaviour in the stands for what it is: the actions of “ignorant and racist people”. He also quotes the offensive chant in question, rather than squirm away from the issue with generalised criticisms.

This approach, both mature and courageous, is an example of how we must deal with such incidents. Corporate anti-racism slogans and campaigns and generic criticisms won’t cut it; if incidents like this are not called out and addressed head on, they can become blurred in a message that already goes unnoticed by too many.

A football problem or a societal one?

As Luís de la Fuente’s comments allude to, this issue is, of course, not confined to football stadiums. Football is but a mirror of society and the brazenness with which large numbers of Spain national team fans joyfully displayed their anti-Muslim hatred is representative of a growing acceptance of discriminatory attitudes in mainstream discourse across Europe, combined with a longstanding undercurrent of Islamophobia in Spanish society.

We must follow Lamine Yamal’s lead in calling out this behaviour wherever we see it, because this problem wasn’t born in the stands of the RCDE Stadium and it won’t be solved with punishments from the footballing authorities. It is up to every section of society and every member of it to show that intolerance will not be tolerated.