Spain's sanction for Islamophobic chanting at the Egypt friendly

A sanction on a national association

The case is a disciplinary sanction against a national football association, not against a team's players or coaching staff. Football's governing bodies treat discriminatory chanting by spectators as an offence that the association responsible for those spectators must answer for. The usual penalties are a fine, a full or partial closure of the stands, or both.

ESPN reports two penalties in Spain's case. The first is a fine. The second is an order to close part of the stadium hosting the team's next international friendly. Because a section of seats has to stay empty, some supporters will not be able to attend that match. The size of the fine, how much of the stadium must be closed and which fixture is affected are not given in the material summarised here.

Islamophobic chanting means abuse aimed at people because of their Muslim faith, or presumed Muslim faith. Football's disciplinary codes put religion alongside race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation and other protected characteristics. Abuse on any of these grounds is treated as discrimination.

Origins of the disciplinary approach

For a long time, football dealt with crowd abuse mainly through policing and stadium security. The governing bodies' role was limited. Over time, both FIFA and UEFA wrote specific discrimination offences into their disciplinary rules. They also gave themselves the power to punish the associations and clubs whose supporters were involved, and not only the individuals responsible.

The reasoning is practical. Identifying one chanting supporter in a crowd is hard, and that person is outside the sport's jurisdiction. The association that sells the tickets, organises the match and represents the fans is inside it. If the association carries the consequences, it has a direct reason to prevent abuse through stewarding, ticketing controls, education and cooperation with the authorities.

Partial or full stadium closures developed as a sanction because they hit the thing an association values most on matchday: a full stadium. Closing a section affects the supporters around the problem without simply adding to a fine.

How the system works today

Several elements work together.

Strict liability. Under the FIFA and UEFA codes, an association is generally responsible for the behaviour of its supporters whether or not it was at fault. It does not have to have encouraged the chanting or failed in its security planning to be sanctioned. Good preventive work may affect how severe the penalty is, but it does not normally remove liability.

Jurisdiction. Which body acts depends on the match. Friendlies between national teams generally come under FIFA's disciplinary framework. Competitive UEFA fixtures, such as European Championship qualifiers, Nations League games and the final tournament, come under UEFA's disciplinary regulations. The summary of the ESPN report does not say which body imposed the sanction on Spain.

Evidence. Cases can start from the match officials' reports, the match commissioner, independent observers who monitor matches for discriminatory behaviour, or video and audio recordings. A disciplinary body then reviews the evidence and decides on a penalty.

On-pitch protocol. Referees have a staged procedure for serious discriminatory incidents during a match. They can stop play and have an announcement made. If the abuse continues, they can suspend the match. As a last resort, they can abandon it. This is separate from any later disciplinary case.

Escalation. The codes provide a range of penalties, and repeat offences are punished more severely. The range runs from fines and partial closures to matches played behind closed doors. In the most serious cases it can extend to forfeited matches, points deductions or exclusion from a competition.

Serving the sanction. A closure usually applies to a future home match. In Spain's case, ESPN reports that it applies to the stadium hosting their next friendly. That is how a sanction from one fixture can affect a different match against a different opponent.

What people commonly get wrong

"Friendlies don't count." Friendlies carry no competitive stakes, but they are still official international matches under the disciplinary rules. Offences committed at a friendly can be punished in the same way as those at a competitive match.

"The players are being punished." The sanction falls on the association. Players are not suspended because of what spectators did.

"The stadium owner is to blame." A partial closure affects a venue, but the penalty is against the association. The ground is simply where the penalty is served. If the association plays its next home match somewhere else, the sanction normally goes with it.

"A big federation or a successful team gets lighter treatment." The strict liability principle applies to every member association. Neither a team's results nor its reputation are part of the rules on liability.

"It only matters for the next match." A recorded offence can matter later, because repeat offences are usually punished more severely. A first sanction raises the potential cost of any future incident.

Where to look next

The primary documents are the FIFA Disciplinary Code and the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations. Both are published by the governing bodies, and each has a dedicated section on discrimination. They set out the offences, the range of sanctions and how repeat offences are handled.

The published decisions of disciplinary bodies show how the rules are applied in individual cases, including how partial closures are defined. Readers interested in the European Championship should look at UEFA's competition regulations together with its disciplinary rules. Those regulations explain how sanctions apply during qualifying and at the final tournament. Anti-discrimination organisations that work with the governing bodies also publish material on how matches are monitored.

Frequently asked questions

Why was Spain fined after the Egypt friendly?

ESPN reports that Spain were fined after Islamophobic chanting was heard during their friendly against Egypt earlier this year. Under football's disciplinary rules, national associations are responsible for how their supporters behave. When spectators direct discriminatory abuse at people because of their religion, the association can be fined and given other penalties, even if it did not encourage the behaviour.

What does a partial stadium closure mean?

A partial stadium closure means a specified section of the stands must stay empty for a particular match. Supporters cannot buy tickets for those seats, so attendance is lower and the association loses revenue. In Spain's case, ESPN reports that the closure applies to the stadium hosting the team's next international friendly. How much of the stadium is affected is not given in the material summarised here.

Can a national team be punished for a friendly match?

Yes. Friendlies have no competitive stakes, but they are official international matches and the disciplinary rules apply to them. Discriminatory behaviour by spectators at a friendly can lead to the same kinds of sanctions as at a competitive fixture, including fines and closures. Friendlies between national teams generally fall under FIFA's disciplinary framework, while European competitive matches come under UEFA's rules.

Who is responsible for fans' chants under football rules?

Under the strict liability principle in the FIFA and UEFA disciplinary codes, the national association or club whose supporters are involved is responsible. It does not need to have been at fault. The aim is to give the organisation that controls ticketing, stewarding and supporter relations a clear reason to prevent abuse, since individual offenders in a crowd are hard to identify.

Can discriminatory chanting affect European Championship qualifying?

Discriminatory behaviour at UEFA competitive matches, including European Championship qualifiers and the final tournament, is dealt with under UEFA's disciplinary regulations. Penalties include fines, partial or full closures and, for serious or repeated cases, harsher measures such as points deductions. A sanction from a friendly applies to the fixture it is attached to, but records of previous offences can affect how later cases are judged.

Sources and further reading

• ESPN: the original report on Spain's fine and partial stadium closure
• FIFA: the Disciplinary Code, which sets out discrimination offences and sanctions for international matches
• UEFA: the Disciplinary Regulations and competition regulations for European Championship qualifying and finals
• Anti-discrimination organisations working with the governing bodies: material on how matches are monitored