The referee is the only person authorized to halt, suspend, or terminate a match once it has begun. It is the official who must activate the anti-racism protocol, either on their own initiative if they witness any gesture or shout that disrupts the normal flow of the game — in this case, racist chants like those heard at Cornellà — or due to any other serious incident occurring on the pitch or in the stands.
The referee of Spain vs. Egypt, Bulgarian official Georgi Kabakov, did not deem it necessary (likely because he did not understand the racist chants) to stop the match or activate the protocol. It is also true that no one reported what was happening or the shouts coming from the stands.
The Spanish Football Federation did react, reminding all attendees of the express prohibition of any act related to racist discrimination, xenophobia, or violence. At that moment, nothing more could be done because the match commissioner decided not to apply FIFA’s anti-racism protocol.
Identifying the origin of the chants and those who later joined in the deplorable shouts falls to the local authorities. It is an extremely difficult task, but the Federation and Espanyol’s management, as stadium operators, will do everything possible to locate those responsible.
The situation is not at all simple, although it is true that all stadiums in the EA SPORTS La Liga have everything that happens inside under control, with a preventive camera system in place. At Cornellà, there is a Central Operational Unit (UCO) managed by the Mossos d’Esquadra.
Now everything depends on the reports from the referee and the FIFA delegate to determine the possible punishment. However, the moral damage has already been done to a football association and federation that must organize a World Cup in four years.
These are the steps to stop a match: The referee has the authority to halt the game. First, the official must make an X-shaped gesture with their arms to report that a racist act is taking place. Players themselves can also make this gesture to the referee to inform them that they are receiving racist treatment, whether from another player or from the stands. Second, the match is temporarily suspended. The stadium’s public address system will announce the incident, and if such behavior persists, the match will be definitively suspended. Finally, definitive suspension occurs if racist acts by any player or from the stands continue, and always after the referee has spoken with the relevant authorities and experts, if they consider it safe to do so.