FIFA open disciplinary proceedings against Spain’s soccer federation: What penalties could ‘La Roja’ face?

FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) over incidents during the friendly between Spain and Egypt in Cornellà. “FIFA has today initiated disciplinary proceedings against the Spanish Football Federation for incidents that occurred during the friendly match against Egypt,” the organization said in a statement to media outlets, including AS. During the game, racist chants were heard from the stands (“If you don’t jump, you’re a Muslim”), which quickly circulated worldwide and will now be investigated by FIFA.

The Spanish federation maintains that opening cases of this kind is standard procedure and says it will submit a dossier to FIFA in the coming days. That report will outline all steps taken during the match, along with the documentation and internal reports requested after the game, including operations, security, ticketing, the club’s security coordinator, and final conclusions.

According to the RFEF, the report will also highlight messages broadcast over the public address system, the stadium video boards and on social media, and will confirm what it describes as the federation’s “proper conduct,” in line with FIFA’s principles and policies in the fight against racism and violence in soccer.

Potential penalties for Spain over racist chants

The referee included the incidents in the official match report, elevating the matter to FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee. Potential sanctions range from financial penalties to requirements to display anti-racism messaging at future matches. Stadium closures are not expected to be on the table.

FIFA has taken an increasingly hard line on racism in recent years. Under president Gianni Infantino, the organization has pursued such cases aggressively and has backed players like Vinicius Jr. in his fight against racist abuse in stadiums, including during a Champions League match in Lisbon against Benfica, when the Brazilian forward accused Prestianni of directing racist insults at him.

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