Racist Chants in Cornellá: Was the Far Right Behind It?

Berni Álvarez, the Sports Minister of the Generalitat of Catalonia, has expressed his concern about the incidents that occurred during the friendly match between Spain and Egypt at the RCDE Stadium in Cornellá-El Prat. Álvarez suggests that the racist chants and jeers at the Egyptian anthem may have been orchestrated by far-right groups. The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police) have already launched an investigation to clarify the facts and determine the possible involvement of these groups.

The match, which was attended by 35,895 spectators, was marred by chants such as "Muslim who doesn't jump!", uttered from the area where the Curva del RCD Espanyol is usually located. In addition, there were whistles at the Egyptian anthem and insults directed at the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez. These incidents have generated a wave of outrage and reopened the debate on racism in sports.

Álvarez criticized the management of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Catalan Football Federation (FCF), pointing out that the protocols against racism were activated too late. In statements to Cadena Ser, the minister stated that more forceful action should have been taken and that the loudspeaker warnings should have come sooner. "They were late with the protocols. To the point of stopping it? Surely, they should have acted forcefully and the loudspeaker warnings should have come much earlier," he explained.

The RFEF, for its part, issued a statement on social media condemning the events and reiterating its commitment to the fight against racism. However, for Álvarez, the measures taken were insufficient and came too late to prevent the festive atmosphere from being marred by chants and insults.

The Sports Minister emphasized that the Generalitat had no participation in the organization of the match and that, upon noticing the incidents, he urged the RFEF and the FCF to activate the corresponding protocols. "We, who did not participate at all in the organization, at halftime we made it known to the RFEF and the FCF that they should activate the protocols or we would leave the stadium," declared Álvarez. The minister regretted that the chants and whistles at the Egyptian anthem showed that everything was prepared and that it was a serious episode that he strongly condemns.

Álvarez described the incidents as "a step back of many years" in the fight against racism and xenophobia in sports. The minister insisted that it seemed that everything was organized by the far right, with the aim of deploying a message of hate in the stadium.

The Sports Minister elaborated on his suspicion that the racist chants were orchestrated by groups outside the world of sports, whose sole purpose was to spread a message of hate. "They came to the match to deploy that hate speech. There were people with whom the feeling you had is that everything was very directed," said Álvarez. The minister added that he was not absolutely certain, but that the feeling was that everything was very directed and that, therefore, it was very dangerous not to have stopped the chants earlier.

Álvarez questioned whether many of those who chanted the chants had any connection with the world of sports, which reinforces his hypothesis that it was a premeditated act organized by external groups with a political agenda.

When asked about whether he would speak with Lamine Yamal, a young Muslim player, about the incidents, Álvarez responded that he would assess it and that he did not rule it out at all. The minister pointed out that it made no sense to utter racist chants against Muslims when the best player on the team, who professes that religion, is on the team. "When you have the best player, who is Muslim, those chants make no sense if you appreciate Lamine," argued Álvarez.

The possible conversation with Yamal would seek to offer him support and show him that the incidents do not represent the general feeling of the fans or Catalan society. In addition, it would serve to reaffirm the commitment of the Catalan government in the fight against racism and the defense of diversity.