FIFA Sanctions Spain for Islamophobic Chants; RFEF to Appeal to CAS

FIFA fined the Spanish football federation $20,000 and ordered a partial stadium closure for its next home friendly after fans directed Islamophobic chants during a match against Egypt. The RFEF announced it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, contesting the sanction. This marks a rare punitive action by FIFA on discriminatory fan behavior, though the financial penalty is modest relative to federation revenues.