Spain to appeal to CAS after FIFA penalty for Islamophobic chants
Summary
Spain’s football federation will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after FIFA rejected their appeal against penalties for Islamophobic chants by fans during a match against Egypt. FIFA fined Spain $20,000 and ordered that at least 15% of seats be closed at their next home friendly game due to the incident.Key Facts
- The chants occurred during a World Cup warm-up match against Egypt in March at RCDE Stadium near Barcelona.
- Fans chanted, “If you don’t jump, you’re a Muslim,” which was considered discriminatory by FIFA.
- Spain’s football federation (RFEF) argued the word “Muslim” was not insulting and should be judged under political or religious message rules, not discrimination rules.
- FIFA disagreed, saying the chant was discriminatory based on how the word was used as an insult.
- The RFEF took action during the match to stop the chants, including announcements and messages against discrimination.
- Spanish police investigated the incident, and FIFA launched disciplinary proceedings.
- FIFA fined RFEF $20,000 and required closing at least 15% of the stadium seats for Spain’s next friendly match.
- FIFA rejected RFEF’s appeal, so RFEF will now take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which handles sports disputes.
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