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Rabat – Esteban Ibarra, President of the Movement Against Intolerance, stated in an interview with the Spanish newspaper “AS” that Tuesday’s racist xenophobic incidents during the Spain-Egypt clash captured something deep about the state of Spanish society and football.
Spain lost on Tuesday against Egypt despite the draw, he claimed, arguing that a “difficult future lies ahead” for Spanish football if it does not eradicate this pervasive bigotry.
According to AS, Esteban said that what happened on Tuesday falls under the terms considered as legally punishable sporting infractions.
“These incidents must be condemned, and appropriate action must be taken because this keeps happening, which demonstrates an inadequacy in addressing the underlying problem,” Ibarra reflected.
He stressed that the event at the stadium was not spontaneous and it may have been orchestrated to provoke reactions, noting that the act occurred at two specific premeditated moments rather than a random throughout in the stadium.
Ibarra emphasized that this incident may have been planned by organized groups, such as ultras, who allegedly directed, promoted, and incited the chants. He added that these groups have been involved in similar incidents at other matches.
However, Ibarra believes that these gestures are largely symbolic, and what is truly needed is a comprehensive preventative policy.
Esteban Ibarra, explained the roots of this missing major policy shift, emphasized that this problem isn’t confined to football but it appears in other sports, in culture, in society, and in popular Spanish discourse across neighborhoods.
“In the 1990s, we addressed racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and other forms of intolerance through policies in schools and the media aimed at tackling these issues at their root,” ”Ibarra said. “Today, these measures are largely absent. Such incidents must be delegitimized across schools and society in a comprehensive manner.”Ibarra said.
Reports from the Anti-Violence Commission highlight a rising number of violent incidents in Spanish football each year, underscoring the urgency for stronger preventative measures to tackle this intolerance in Spain.
