‘I am a Muslim’: Ramin Yamal condemns ‘racist’ anti-Muslim slogans against Egypt

Spanish player Lamine Yamal criticized some Spanish fans for shouting anti-Muslim slogans during Spain’s friendly match against Egypt, saying such behavior should not be tolerated in football.The incident took place at the RCDE Stadium on Tuesday, with some in the crowd chanting: “bote, bote, bote musulman el que no bote”, which means “jump, jump, jump, those who don’t jump are Muslims”. The chants were repeated later in the first half and shortly after the break.Following the chants, an announcement was made at the stadium asking fans not to use racist, homophobic or xenophobic language, with the same message displayed on the big screen. The announcement elicited whistles from some of the crowd.Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country. The 18-year-old Spanish player Yamal is also a devout Muslim and has talked about his faith before.“Thank God I am Muslim,” he posted on Instagram.“Yesterday in the stadium we heard the chant ‘Whoever doesn’t dance is a Muslim’. I know it was directed at the opposing team and not me personally, but as a Muslim that doesn’t stop us from having a lack of respect and it’s something we won’t tolerate.” “I understand that not all fans are like this, but to those who chant these slogans: mocking people with their religion on a football pitch makes you ignorant and racist. Football is about enjoyment and support, not about offending people for who they are or what they believe.”“Having said that, I would like to thank the fans who came to support us. See you at the World Cup.”Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa also responded to the incident, saying Spain is a tolerant country and not racist, despite what happened during the game.The slogan is one commonly used by Spanish supporters at matches, 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 game. Yamal’s Barcelona teammates Pedri and Joan Garcia also expressed their disapproval of the incident. Spain’s Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports issued a similar message of condemnation on Wednesday.