Spain appeals to sport's top court over FIFA sanction for Islamophobic chants
Spain's football federation is challenging a $20,000 fine and a partial stadium closure imposed after fans chanted "If you don't jump, you're a Muslim" during a match against Egypt.
At a glance
- Spain's RFEF is appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after FIFA rejected its challenge to the sanctions.
- FIFA fined the federation $20,000 and ordered at least 15% of seats closed for Spain's next home friendly.
- Spain winger Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim, condemned the chants as disrespectful and intolerable and called those responsible racist.
Spain's football federation (RFEF) is taking its case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after FIFA dismissed its appeal against sanctions imposed over Islamophobic chants by supporters during a match against Egypt in March.
FIFA fined the federation $20,000 and ordered it to close at least 15 percent of the available seats for Spain's next home friendly. The penalties followed incidents at the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, home of LaLiga club Espanyol, where some Spain fans chanted "If you don't jump, you're a Muslim" during the goalless World Cup warm-up.
After the chant was heard a second time, the stadium announcer issued a warning and the scoreboard displayed a message against discriminatory behaviour.
Yamal condemns the chants
Spain winger Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim, condemned the chants at the time, describing them as disrespectful and intolerable and calling those responsible "ignorant and racist".
Spanish police launched an investigation the following day, and world governing body FIFA later began disciplinary proceedings against the RFEF.
The federation argued that the word "Muslim" was "neither insulting nor pejorative" and that the fans' conduct should be assessed under FIFA's Article 17, which covers political, ideological, religious or offensive messages, rather than Article 15, which deals with discrimination and racist abuse.
FIFA's disciplinary committee rejected that argument, saying Article 15 does not require the explicit use of a slur and that a term can be discriminatory when used in context as "an insult, taunt, or marker of inferiority".
The RFEF appealed the sanction, but a FIFA spokesperson told Reuters the appeal was dismissed last week, prompting the Spanish federation to take the case to CAS, the highest authority in sports disputes.
Federation defends its response
A high-ranking RFEF official told Reuters that the federation "acted immediately, diligently and effectively from the moment it became aware of the incidents", adding that the measures taken ensured the chants were not repeated and that spectators in the stadium expressed their own disapproval of such behaviour.
The official said the federation considers the sanctions particularly severe, arguing that comparable capacity restrictions had not been imposed automatically in more serious cases or in cases involving previous disciplinary offences.
According to the official, the chants were detected by the RFEF's monitoring systems and immediately reported to match officials, and security was reinforced in the affected section of the stadium. The federation, the official said, "cooperated fully with the relevant authorities to identify those responsible".
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Why is Spain appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport?
- FIFA rejected the Spanish football federation's appeal against sanctions for Islamophobic chants by fans during a March match against Egypt, so the RFEF is taking the case to sport's highest dispute body.
- What sanctions did FIFA impose on Spain?
- FIFA fined the RFEF $20,000 and ordered at least 15 percent of the available seats to be closed for Spain's next home friendly.
- What did the Spain fans chant?
- Some Spain supporters at the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona chanted "If you don't jump, you're a Muslim" during the goalless World Cup warm-up match against Egypt.
