FC Barcelona tells Euronews 'no comment' after Israel accuses Yamal of 'inciting hatred'

Spanish shot nine FC Barcelona person declined to supply remark connected accusations made by the Israeli defence curate towards its prima subordinate Lamine Yamal of "fuelling hatred" against the state aft helium waved a Palestinian emblem astatine a triumph parade.

Katz said the player’s gesture, made during Barcelona’s caller La Liga rubric celebrations, amounted to fuelling “hatred towards Israel and the Jewish people”, adding that anyone who supports actions similar Yamal’s should “ask themselves: is this humanitarian? Is this moral?”

Israel’s defence curate besides said that Yamal chose to bash it “while Israeli soldiers were warring the violent organisation Hamas, which massacred, raped, burned and murdered children, women and Jewish elders connected 7 October.”

Katz went connected to telephone connected Barcelona — Yamal’s nine since the property of 7 — to “make it wide that determination is nary spot for incitement oregon enactment for terrorism.”

Euronews besides contacted erstwhile Barcelona president Joan Gaspart and the Royal Spanish Football Federation, which governs shot successful Spain and oversees the Spanish nationalist team, of which Lamine Yamal is simply a member.

Gaspart, who led the nine from 2000 to 2003 aft serving arsenic vice-president for 22 years, said the Israeli defence curate tin accidental “whatever helium wants” and that helium “respects his opinion”. Asked what helium made of FC Barcelona declining to remark connected the attacks against Yamal, helium said: “If the nine has said that, there’s thing other for maine to add.”

He besides suggested that the bulk of the club’s 150,000 members — who efficaciously co-owners of the nine and elite its enactment — would hold with Barcelona’s determination not to remark connected the issue. “Ask them,” helium said.

On Yamal waving a Palestinian flag, helium argued that “Barcelona indispensable absorption connected football”, but that everyone tin “defend their ideas connected a idiosyncratic level”. However, helium added that “when you are astatine Barcelona, you request to effort to support your idiosyncratic views to yourself. I ne'er expressed my idiosyncratic sentiment erstwhile I was president.”

On the absorption of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to Katz’s comments astir Yamal, in which Sánchez defended the player, Gaspart said helium did not privation to comment: “He is not a Barcelona supporter, truthful I americium not going to measure what helium said.”

But helium did person a connection for Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, who connected Tuesday said Barcelona’s alleged corruption was “the biggest ungraded successful shot history”. Gaspart noted: “It was ridiculous. After losing La Liga, helium blamed everyone but himself.”

Spain’s shot governing assemblage besides declined to remark connected the matter, arguing that Lamine Yamal is lone considered a subordinate of the Spanish nationalist squad portion participating successful its ain campy alternatively than Barcelona's.

Yamal, who is considered 1 of the Spanish nationalist team’s champion players, was included this week successful the preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He is besides expected to beryllium named successful the last squad, contempt an wounded that has kept him retired of Barcelona’s squad successful caller weeks.

Praise and backlash

The 18-year-old Yamal, a lad of a Guinean-Ecuadorian parent and a Moroccan father, has antecedently been vocal astir societal issues.

A Muslim himself, helium antecedently condemned Spanish fans who chanted hateful songs against Muslims during a affable lucifer with Egypt arsenic “ignorant” and “racist”. He has not publically expressed enactment for Hamas oregon the 7 October violent attacks.

His caller determination to question a Palestinian emblem has drawn some praise and criticism. In Gaza, a mural depicting the Barcelona prima waving the Palestinian emblem has been painted connected a partition by section artists.

In Spain, salient politicians specified arsenic Catalan nationalist Gabriel Rufián person publically shown support. “Maybe immoderate radical person moved from indifference to condemning the genocide successful Gaza simply due to the fact that helium waved that flag,” helium argued.

Others, specified arsenic Elías Bendodo from Spain’s main absorption enactment Partido Popular, said that “sport indispensable not beryllium mixed with different issues”.

Yamal’s manager astatine Barcelona struck a akin code erstwhile asked. “I usually don’t similar these things,” Hansi Flick said during a property league connected Tuesday. “But he’s aged enough, truthful helium should marque his ain decisions.”

Speaking to Euronews, Joan Gaspart praised Flick: “I afloat hold with him. Lamine is young and a large subordinate and should perceive to him.”

Some Catalan media person criticised Flick’s comments, however. On Catalunya Radio, commentators said the German manager should not marque Yamal’s state of look conditional. And online, galore fans spoke retired against Hansi Flick, arguing that his views connected Yamal’s actions are influenced by his agent, Pini Zahavi, an Israeli citizen. There is presently nary grounds to enactment that claim.

The enactment has revived statement implicit the relation of governmental look successful sport, peculiarly with the World Cup — jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico — little than a period away.

For Barcelona, this is not the archetypal clip shot and authorities person intersected. In 2017, days earlier the Catalan independency referendum, which had been deemed illegal, the nine published an authoritative connection saying it had “always defended the country's (Catalonia), democracy, state of expression, and the close to self-determination”.

Will authorities diagnostic successful the FIFA World Cup (again)?

Amid increasing geopolitical tensions and the warfare connected Iran launched by the US and Israel, authorities has already played a relation successful discussions surrounding the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. For example, with the US acceptable to co-host the tourney alongside Canada and Mexico, Iran astatine 1 constituent claimed it would not instrumentality portion earlier aboriginal retracting the statement.

At 1 point, a US authorities authoritative adjacent suggested FIFA should let Italy to play successful the World Cup alternatively of Iran. Italy had failed to suffice aft losing a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The past clip its nationalist squad played astatine a World Cup was successful 2014.

FIFA rules bash springiness the satellite football’s governing assemblage “sole discretion” to determine what happens if a squad is withdrawn oregon excluded from a FIFA competition. Article 6 of its World Cup rulebook besides allows the organisation to regenerate 1 squad with another.

However, soon aft reports emerged that Trump’s Special Envoy Paolo Zampolli had requested FIFA regenerate Iran with Italy, it was reported that nary specified program had been enactment forward.

The existent concern is reminiscent of the 2022 World Cup successful Qatar, wherever authorities besides featured prominently. That year, FIFA prohibited respective squad captains from wearing armbands supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion arsenic portion of the "OneLove" run launched by the Royal Dutch Football Association.

FIFA warned that players wearing the armband risked receiving a yellowish card, and the inaugural was yet abandoned during the tournament.

FIFA regulations authorities that squad instrumentality indispensable not incorporate “political, religious, oregon idiosyncratic slogans”. The tourney stadium codification besides prohibited banners, flags and flyers of a “political, violative and/or discriminatory nature”.

The enforcement of these rules during the tourney successful Qatar prompted heated statement implicit consistency, with immoderate arguing that antithetic forms of governmental look were treated unevenly.