Another one. During this international break in March, there was no football in La Liga. But that did not prevent a new racist controversy in Spain. This time it was during the meeting between La Roja and Egypt. During part of the match, Islamophobic chants echoed throughout the stadium. “He who does not jump is Muslim”could we hear in the stands. Comments which aroused indignation after the meeting and which even forced Lamine Yamal to come out of silence via his social networks to denounce these scandalous remarks. “I am a Muslim, alhamdulilah. Yesterday, at the stadium, I heard the chant “he who does not jump is Muslim”. I know this was directed at the opposing team and was not a personal attack on me, but as a Muslim I find this disrespectful and intolerable. I understand that not all fans are like that, but to those who chant things like this: using a religion as a provocation on the field makes you ignorant and racist. Football is for fun and encouragement, not for disrespecting people because of who they are or what they believe in. That said, thank you to everyone who came to support us, see you at the World Cup.”he posted on his account Instagram.
This Friday, at a press conference, the various La Liga coaches present were questioned on the subject and they all wanted to send a message. And if some banged their fists on the table, others preferred to round the corners a little. On the side of Real Madrid for example, Alvaro Arbeloa regretted this new controversy, but did not wish to make generalizations. “I believe that Spain is not a racist country. If that were the case, we would have problems every weekend. We need to eradicate certain behaviors, things that I cannot change. But I will continue to defend this position. Spain must continue the fight against these attitudes, but we are a great country, very tolerant. We must not make generalizations, but we must continue this fight with the same determination”he said.
Spain, not an isolated case?
For his part, Diego Simeone, coach of the Colchoneros, said he was not surprised by these songs, believing that the company had already collapsed a while ago. “I think this is a social and global problem, which is not limited to Spain, Brazil or Argentina: respect was lost several years ago. The respect we had for our parents, our teachers, for the police, the director of a club, for the coach, for the presidents. It disappeared, and we don’t have it today. We must all work with the awareness that with faith, by believing in God and knowing that the path is through faith, we can progress. » Finally, Hansi Flick logically gave his support to Lamine Yamal and once again denounced these acts.
“Lamine made a fantastic statement. In the world of football, we stand for inclusion. It was frustrating; only a small number of idiots don’t understand it. It is time to reflect and progress. Not just in football, but in life in general. Racism has no place here. It is about the unity of all. We all want to be respected, regardless of our skin color, ethnicity or religion. Nothing. We don’t want racism. It is time to change mentalities. » It is indeed time to change mentalities but for the moment, in Spain as elsewhere, nothing has really changed despite the multiplication of cases for several years now. We must now match words with actions…
