The sanctions facing Spain for Islamophobia in Cornellà-El Prat

BarcelonaBeyond the embarrassment, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) faces a sanction from FIFA after the Islamophobic chants at the friendly match against Egypt in Cornellà-El Prat. The punishment ranges from a match for the senior team "with a limited number of spectators" and "a fine of at least 20,000 Swiss francs (21,600 euros)," according to regulations in cases of discriminatory chants in the stands. And it could even mean prohibiting "la roja" from playing at Espanyol's stadium again.

The first chants occurred ten minutes into the match, when a section of the crowd chanted "Muslims who don't jump." The chants were repeated on several other occasions, despite a message being displayed on the stadium's big screen during halftime reminding everyone that "legislation for the prevention of violence in sport prohibits and sanctions active participation in violent, xenophobic, homophobic, or racist acts."

According to FIFA's Disciplinary Code, disciplinary measures may be imposed on the member association or the responsible club, "even if the member association or club in question can prove the absence of fault or negligence on their part," if "one or more followers of a representative team or club" attack "the dignity or integrity of a country, a person or a group of people by using words or actions that are derogatory, discriminatory or abusive on grounds of race, skin color, ethnic, national or social origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, language, religion, political opinion or any other opinion, purchasing power, place of birth or by any other status or reason."

The protocol was activated late, and that is an aggravating factor for the Federation

In principle, as it was a first offense, the sanction for the RFEF would be at its lowest level. But it does not favor the fact that the protocol was activated too late, and not immediately, as denounced by the Minister of Sports of the Generalitat, Berni Álvarez, in statements to Catalunya Ràdio and SER Catalunya. Álvarez, who was at Cornellà-El Prat, denounced that "strange things" were happening from the beginning, such as the booing of the Egyptian anthem, and assured that he felt "great indignation seeing that no action was being taken". In fact, he explains that at halftime he informed the members of the RFEF and the Catalan Federation (FCF) that either they activated the protocols immediately or he would leave the stadium. And it was then that they got underway.

Therefore, if FIFA considered these facts detailed by Counselor Álvarez as aggravating circumstances, it could increase the sanction. Apart from a notably higher economic fine, disciplinary measures could also be imposed, such as playing a match behind closed doors or prohibiting the national team from playing more matches in a stadium – Cornellà-El Prat, in this case–. The regulations also include sanctions that, in their most extreme degree, can even lead to exclusion from a competition, although this would not be applicable in this case.