This week, Spanish football has been rocked by yet another case of racist abuse coming from the stands in their stadiums. During the friendly match between Spain and Egypt, a number of supporters were heard making Islamophobic chants towards the visiting side, which have since been rightly condemned.
Lamine Yamal, who himself is a Muslim, called out those that were involved in the racist chanting, which he was appalled by. Action is already being taken by those in the relevant positions, but there is a chance that there is now a knock-on effect for the 2030 World Cup, which Spain are co-hosts for.
It has been expected that the 2030 World Cup final will be held in Spain, with Real Madrid’s Bernabeu and Barcelona’s Spotify Camp Nou among the leading contenders. However, Moroccan publication Goud (via Cadena SER) believe that the North African nation now has an increased chance to win the rights.
“Numerous racist incidents have been witnessed in Spanish stadiums. Fears have been inability of Spanish institutions to combat this phenomenon during matches. Muslims in Spain are suffering racism in the stadiums. Curiously, the main star of the Spanish national team is a Muslim of Moroccan origin (Lamine Yamal).”
Goud have also stating that FIFA are “aware of everything” going on with Spain and their issues with racism in football, and they believe that this gives Morocco an edge in their hopes of becoming the first African nation to host the World Cup final since South Africa in 2010, as they note that “in Morocco’s stadiums there are no racist incidents of this type or of this intensity”.
It remains to be seen whether there are any repercussions for Spain regarding he 2030 World Cup on the back of this week’s events, but it is clear that serious action needs to be taken to stamp these incidents out once and for all.
