MADRID (AP) — appeared first on racist abuse Against Vinicius Junior. after that, unwanted kiss According to the country’s top soccer officials. And now Spain is dealing with the aftermath. anti-muslim chant During a friendly match against Egypt.
The on-pitch success of Spain’s women’s and men’s teams has been partly overshadowed by incidents of racism, sexism and xenophobia in recent years.
as world cup But concerns have been raised that a meaningful cultural shift is occurring in Spain, one of the title’s favorites.
Esteban Ibarra, head of the Madrid-based Movement Against Intolerance, Racism and Xenophobia, said: “This is not a very good image for Spain right now, but we cannot confuse these actions by minority groups, usually ultra groups, with the actions of the majority of Spain’s fans.”
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 worked hard to dispel the idea that Spain is a racist country.
They argue that recent incidents in soccer, including last month’s anti-Muslim chant, are isolated incidents and are largely due to the actions of a small number of extremist fans.
“The first thing we must bear in mind is that these acts, which we condemn in the strongest possible terms, were carried out by a group of people who in no way represent the majority of Spanish football fans,” Spain’s highest sports authority, the Spanish Higher Sports Council, told The Associated Press in a statement.
“The chant is deplorable and cannot be repeated.” “I am confident that the Spanish men and women who will be participating in this summer’s World Cup will support the team with passion and always with respect.”
Lamine Yamal speaks out
Spain was involved world cup group This includes Saudi Arabia, a country with an overwhelmingly Muslim majority.
A group of Spanish fans sang anti-Islamic chants during a friendly against another Muslim-majority country, Egypt, on March 31, making headlines around the world. Even during a match in Barcelona, there was heckling over the singing of the Egyptian national anthem.
“Such behavior is completely unacceptable in football stadiums and is a negative phenomenon that must be collectively addressed and eradicated,” the Egyptian Football Association said.
The chants took place despite the presence of Spain’s star forward Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim. The next day he called for a chant rude and intolerableand said it didn’t matter that it wasn’t directed at him personally.
“I understand that not all fans are like that, but for fans who advocate things like this, using religion as a mockery on the field makes you look ignorant and racist,” Yamal, 18, said. “Football is about having fun and cheering, not about disrespecting people for who they are or what they believe.”
Spanish police launch investigation into fan behavior during matches, FIFA disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against the Spanish Football Federation.
The Spanish federation cited Yamal’s popularity as an example of how recent events are not representative of Spain’s fan base as a whole. The newspaper noted that Yamal’s uniform is the best-selling uniform in Spain and that he is the most popular player anywhere on the team.
The federation also noted several actions and campaigns taking place in Spain with the participation of the government and other football bodies against intolerance and discrimination in sport.
Abuse against Vinicius sparked action against racism
Spain was widely criticized for its lack of action against racism in football after Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinicius said he had been racially abused during a 2016 Spanish league match. Valencia in 2023. Vinicius, who is black, said at the time that the Spanish league “now belongs to racists” and that Spain “is considered a racist country.”
Since then, he has continued to speak out against racism in sport, albeit in subtle ways about Spain.
“I’m not saying that Spain, Germany and Portugal are racist countries, but there are racists in these countries and there are racists in Brazil and other countries,” Vinicius said after the match. praise yamal In response to last month’s condemnation of anti-Muslim chants. “But if we continue to fight together, I don’t think future players or the public will have to go through something like this again.”
Support for Vinicius grew after the 2023 match in Valencia, after several members of the Ultra group called Vinicius a “monkey” and threatened to leave the field.
The number of incidents of racial abuse against Brazilian national team players decreased as authorities began to take more serious measures. of first conviction The lawsuit related to racism in Spanish professional football comes after repeated accusations against Vinicius, and fans have been punished in other cases as well.
A recent Supreme Court ruling sets a precedent for harsher penalties in cases of intolerance in sport, marking another step for Spain in the fight against discrimination.
Federation says it has changed since the Rubiales scandal
Not long after the abuse against Vinicius, the Spanish Football Federation faced a new scandal involving the conduct of then-federation president Luis Rubiales.
Mr. Rubiales resigned and eventually convicted of sexual assault He was accused of grabbing Jenni Hermoso’s head and kissing her on the lips after Spain won the 2023 Women’s World Cup final.
Critics said the scandal highlighted a culture of sexism in Spanish football.
The federation said the incident had prompted internal change, noting that its board is now 50% women and women hold several senior management positions.
Spain fans expect behavior at World Cup
The soccer federation does not foresee any problems involving Spanish fans during the World Cup. One reason for this is that monitoring the identities of bulk buyers could prevent members of extremist fan groups from buying tickets to Spain matches.
“Theoretically, there is no real risk of this type of incident occurring during the World Cup,” Ibarra said. “Especially now, Spain is alarmed by the international implications of recent incidents and we expect stricter measures against Spanish ultra groups responsible for these acts.”
The Spanish government said it had been working for years “in an effective manner, in cooperation with government agencies, national security forces, federations, clubs and fans, to prevent a minority of hooligans from staining our sport.”
The government also said it had “one of the most advanced systems in Europe” to combat intolerance, with an anti-violence committee in place to coordinate actions by authorities, prosecutors and other relevant agencies.
The men’s team enters the World Cup as the defending European champions. Since a disappointing round-of-16 exit at the Qatar World Cup, Spain also won the Nations League in 2023 and finished runners-up last year.
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
