The Diplomat
The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, declined to comment on Tuesday on footballer Lamine Yamal’s decision to wave a Palestinian flag during FC Barcelona’s La Liga title celebrations, simply reiterating that “Spain has recognized Palestine.”
During the team’s victory celebration tour of Barcelona on an open-top bus, the player was seen waving a Palestinian flag for a considerable time. This image did not sit well with FC Barcelona’s coach, Hansi Flick: “These are things I don’t usually like,” he stated at a press conference on Tuesday.
“I spoke with him and told him that if he wants to do it, it’s his decision; he’s of legal age,” but “we dedicate ourselves to playing football, and we have to take into account what people expect of us,” he added.
“I spoke with him and told him that if he wants to do it, it’s his decision; he’s of legal age,” but “we dedicate ourselves to playing football, and we have to consider what people expect of us,” he concluded.
Pedro Sánchez was asked about this anecdote during the joint press conference with the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at the Moncloa Palace.
“Spain has recognized the State of Palestine,” he recalled. “From the very first moment, Spain condemned the Hamas attacks and has subsequently condemned the genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli authorities in the Gaza Strip and, of course, also the illegal occupation being carried out through settlements in the West Bank,” he continued.
According to the Prime Minister, the time has come to “establish a political horizon of peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine, and this involves not only access to humanitarian aid, but also an end to impunity and the recognition of a State of Palestine, just as Spain has recognized the existence of the State of Israel,” he added.
This is not the first time that political demands have been raised during a sporting event. In July 2024, footballers Álvaro Morata (formerly of Chelsea) and Rodrigo (currently playing for Manchester City) chanted the slogan “Gibraltar is Spanish” during the celebrations in Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles following Spain’s victory in the European Championship.
The Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, described these actions as “repugnant,” and the then-Government spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, downplayed the footballers’ words, which were made “in a celebratory context,” and asserted that “no one doubts that a country’s foreign policy is set by that country’s government.”
