Mohamed Sissoko (Mont-Saint-Aignan, 1985) felt “shame,” “pain,” and “sadness” while watching the match between Spain and Egypt. The French-born Mali international, a former player for Valencia, Levante, Liverpool, Juventus, and PSG, and a devout Muslim, could not believe what he was hearing on television—the appalling racist chants of “whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim” that stained Spanish football’s image.
“What happened is not good for the world, and obviously not good for Spain’s image. That cannot be. I watched it live during the game, and now I’m watching the replays. I have lived in Spain, and most Spaniards are not like that. When I see those images, it’s not Spain. Or at least not the Spain I knew, because unfortunately those people exist,” said Sissoko, who felt “anger” as a Muslim and “pity” for Lamine Yamal.
“If I were Lamine, I would honestly think twice about playing for Spain again,” Sissoko stated.
“It pains me that a figure like Lamine had to experience that. The image Spain has shown is not the one I know. It’s a disgrace. Lamine did not deserve what he went through. He chose to play for Spain; he could have chosen to play for Morocco. But he chose Spain, and Spain now has one of the best players of the moment. Yet he had to live through what happened in this match. It’s neither fair nor logical. It was deplorable. If I were Lamine, I would genuinely reconsider playing for Spain.”
Sissoko, who played in Spain during two separate stints (two seasons at Valencia and one at Levante) and spends long periods in the country after retiring six years ago, still could not believe what happened at Cornellà 24 hours later. “The match should have been stopped. Something has to be done to cut this out because we are in 2026, and people cannot behave like this. Society has gotten worse. When I was in Spain in 2004, I never experienced anything like that.”
During his professional career, Sissoko suffered several racist attacks. “When you’re a footballer, you get used to it. I was insulted in many stadiums, though usually by isolated idiots rather than in chorus. But we need to nip all this in the bud, which is why what happened in Spain vs Egypt must be denounced.”