Overview
- A section of Spain supporters chanted anti‑Muslim slogans during a friendly against Egypt on March 31, 2026, and stadium staff displayed anti‑discrimination messages and issued warnings as the chants recurred.
- FIFA applied its Article 15 rules on discrimination and fined the Royal Spanish Football Federation $20,000 while ordering at least 15 percent of the stadium closed for Spain’s next home friendly.
- The stadium closure may, with FIFA approval, be filled by community or anti‑discrimination groups and the measure’s enforcement date depends on Spain’s future fixtures and possible qualification for tournament finals.
- The RFEF argued the word 'Muslim' was not pejorative and said the case should fall under a different FIFA article, but the disciplinary committee rejected that defence and the federation has now appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after FIFA dismissed its internal appeal.
- Spanish police opened an investigation after the match and players and the Egyptian federation publicly condemned the chanting, raising questions about fan accountability and how national bodies must prevent discriminatory conduct at games.