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Anti-Muslim chants mar Egypt soccer friendly

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Spanish authorities have said they are investigating repeated abusive chants by fans during Tuesday night’s international friendly match between the Spanish and Egyptian men’s national football teams.

The game, which had to be moved to Barcelona from Qatar as a result of the US-Israeli war on Iran, ended in a 0-0 draw, but was marred by persistent anti-Muslim jeers directed at the visiting team.

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente was livid after the match, voicing “total and absolute disgust” for the behavior of some Spanish fans while blasting “any form of xenophobia, racism or disrespect” as absolutely unacceptable.

“Violent people use football to carve out a space for themselves. They must be removed from society, identified, and kept as far away as possible,” de la Fuente added.

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The coach pointed out that a large majority of fans at the match loudly condemned the incident and booed those responsible, but he called for those involved in wrongdoing to be banned.

De la Fuente’s disgust was echoed by Spanish football’s governing body RFEF.

Spanish police are now seeking to identify those involved in the “Islamophobic and xenophobic” chants.

A Spanish-language message notifying fans that 'it is against the law to participate in violent, xenophobic, homophobic, or racist acts' is displayed during a soccer match between Spain and Egypt in Barcelona on Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Islamophobic and racist chants persisted throughout the game despite repeated verbal and written warnings to Spanish fansImage: Albert Gea/REUTERS

What did Spanish fans do during the game against Egypt?

The trouble started early on Tuesday evening, with Spanish supporters loudly jeering the Egyptian national anthem, only to shift to overtly racist and anti-Muslim chants halfway through the first half.

Authorities made repeated requests for those insulting the guests to stop, to no avail.

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At one point, stadium operators flashed a message to fans on scoreboards that read: “Please be reminded that legislation on the prevention of violence in sport prohibits and penalizes active participation in violent, xenophobic, homophobic or racist acts.”

“We are investigating yesterday’s Islamophobic and xenophobic chants at RCDE Stadium during the Spain-Egypt friendly match,” Catalonia’s Mossos d’Esquadra regional police force later wrote on X.

Spanish Justice Minister Felix Bolanos joined the condemnation as well, saying, such “racist insults and chants shame us as a society.”

Spain has seen several such incidents in recent years, with professional players such as Brazilian forward and Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior, in particular, facing repeated racist abuse.   

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Edited by: Karl Sexton

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Terence Crawford predicts Errol Spence Jr’s reported comeback fight against Tim Tszyu

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It has been almost three years since Errol Spence Jr stepped through the ropes, but a summer return against Australia’s Tim Tszyu seems to be gathering pace.

Spence was handed the first defeat of his career back in 2023 by Terence Crawford, who became the undisputed welterweight world champion that night. Despite many feeling that it was a pick ’em fight beforehand, Crawford won handily, dropping Spence three times before scoring a TKO in the ninth.

After a lengthy lay-off and persistent rumours of a return, Spence reportedly has ‘a done deal’ with Tszyu provided the Aussie comes through Denis Nurja this weekend in Wollongong.

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Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Crawford praised Tszyu’s campaign so far.

“Tim Tszyu [has] had a great career, it’s still going. He’s accomplished a lot for what his experience entails. His fight this weekend – I don’t know too much about the opponent other than he’s undefeated. Will he be back on top and become a champion again? I can’t say he won’t, I can’t say he will. We just got to wait and see.”

However, the recently retired five-division world champion backs his former foe to win should all go to plan and the fight take place.

“I think Spence beats him. At this point in both of their careers, I think he beats him.”

Fans will hope to see a reinvigorated Spence, particularly since he will be returning at 154lbs after cutting to the welterweight limit of 147 for so long. However, questions remain over what he has left in the tank following various injuries – not least a serious car accident.

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Women’s Champions League: Arsenal beat Chelsea 3-2 on aggregate to reach semi-finals – Kim Little reaction

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Arsenal captain Kim Little says she believes her side are “getting better and better” as they reach the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League, after beating Chelsea 3-2 on aggregate to close in on successfully defending their title.

READ MORE: Arsenal hold off Chelsea to reach Champions League last four

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J.T. Brown’s wife Lexi LaFleur demands “lifetime ban” after Stars fans’ Nazi salute incident

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Former NHL player J.T. Brown’s wife Lexi LaFleur is calling for immediate action after a video surfaced online showing a group of Dallas Stars fans performing Nazi salutes during a game.

The incident reportedly happened on Dec. 21, 2025, when the Stars faced the Toronto Maple Leafs at American Airlines Center in Dallas, ultimately winning 5-1. According to a Reddit post that has since gone viral, a fan who attended the game recorded a group of young men sitting in front of them doing a Nazi salute “every time the stars scored.”

“I was at the Stars game on December 21 and these boys were sitting in front of us doing a Nazi salute every time the stars scored,” the original poster wrote. “I’ve been to several games and never seen anything like this before. I recorded them and sent it to arena management, but they said they couldn’t find the boys despite me giving them their exact seat numbers.”

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LaFleur Brown quote-tweeted the post reshared on X with a strong message:

“Lifetime ban from all NHL arenas immediately. It’s literally in the NHL Fan Code of Conduct. If you ever see behavior like this at a game, alert staff. Unacceptable.”

In her follow-up comments, she attached a link to the NHL Fan Code of Conduct which explicitly prohibits such behavior.


Lexi LaFleur looks back on her days of playing on the boys’ team as a child

Lexi LaFleur herself has played junior hockey throughout school. Last week, LaFleur posted a photo from her elementary school yearbook on X revealing a childhood dream that has taken on new meaning in light of recent success of the PWHL.

“Crying over my elementary school yearbook in which I wrote ‘when I grow up I want to play in the NHL’ because now little girls get to dream of playing in the PWHL,” she wrote.

But her path to hockey wasn’t without obstacles. In a viral TikTok video that has garnered over 1 million views, LaFleur Brown shared her first experience with toxic masculinity in hockey at just 10 years old when several boys on her youth peewee hockey team voted to have her removed with the help of a parent.

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“It lit a fire under my ass that has fueled me for the rest of my life,” Brown said in the video. “My love for hockey is bigger and greater than anybody’s ability to hate me.” [H/T Glamour magazine]

Following the recent controversy involving President Donald Trump’s phone call to the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team, she has been among those calling for greater respect for women in sports.

“It’s sad that fans are new to this and that was kind of their first hockey heartbreak,” LaFleur Brown said in response to the controversy. “I have seen people say, ‘That’s it, I’m just gonna support the PWHL.’ I think that’s great too. There are other ways to love hockey than to just support the NHL.”

The incident occurred when Trump called the men’s gold medal-winning team and joked that he would “have to” invite the women’s team to the State of the Union or risk being impeached. The comment drew rancorous laughter from players in the locker room.