- FA criticized for not illuminating arch.
- Moment of silence at Wembley.
- Support and condemnation in sports.
Prominent Jewish organizations, the culture secretary, and the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism criticized the Football Association (FA) for not illuminating the Wembley arch in response to the Hamas assaults in Israel. The FA chose to observe a moment of silence before a match between England and Australia instead. This decision estranged the Jewish community in the UK.
The government’s antisemitism adviser, John Mann, called for the resignation of the FA’s governor and chief executive if pro-Palestinian supporters disrupted the minute’s silence or displayed Palestinian flags at Wembley.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer expressed her strong dissent regarding the FA’s decision.
Despite the FA’s decision, the Premier League announced a moment of silence at matches and players, managers, and match officials will wear black armbands to symbolize the crisis in Israel and Gaza.
The EFL is adopting similar protocols for its upcoming matches. Premier League clubs donated to the British Red Cross relief efforts in response to the conflict.
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Cricketer Moeen Ali and others have expressed support for the Palestinian people, with Ali later removing his Instagram post and replacing it with a Malcolm X quote.
The Football Association (FA), reportedly concerned about appearing to favor one of Israel or Palestine, has decided to observe a moment of silence for all victims of the conflict prior to Friday night’s friendly between England and Australia.
The Football Association announced that England and Australia players would don black armbands, and supporters would be prohibited from entering Wembley Stadium with Israeli and Palestinian kits and flags on the same day that the Premier League also broke its reticence on the matter.
The government’s antisemitism tsar, John Mann, stated that the FA had estranged the Jewish community in the United Kingdom. Mann negotiated with the FA this week regarding the illumination of the arch in the blue and white hues of the Jewish prayer shawl.
Mann contended that enforcing a minute’s silence would be an unmanageable task. He demanded the resignations of the FA’s governor and chief executive, Mark Bullingham and Debbie Hewitt, should pro-Palestinian supporters disrupt the silence or display Palestinian flags inside Wembley.
Mann’s response followed the FA’s declaration: “We shall pay homage to the innocent victims of the catastrophic incidents that transpired in Israel and Palestine on Friday evening. We extend our deepest condolences to them, as well as their close friends and families residing in England and Australia, as well as to all the communities impacted by this protracted conflict. We advocate for the eradication of death, violence, terror, and suffering in the name of humanity.
The refusal of the Premier League and the Football Association to condemn the assaults on Israeli citizens was likewise condemned by the Campaign Against Antisemitism and the Board of Deputies.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism has a spokesperson state, “The FA is vacillating. These ‘devastating events’ did not transpire spontaneously, as if caused by a natural catastrophe. They originated from a heinous terrorist organization that brutally executed the greatest number of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust. It is abjectly disgraceful that the football industry refuses to recognize this.”
Marie van der Zyl, the chairman of the Board of Deputies, stated: “The FA’s response to a coordinated terrorist campaign that claimed the lives, assaulted, and abducted hundreds of innocent Israelis—an unprecedented number since September 11—was “to remember the victims of the conflicts in Israel and Palestine.” The FA receives no credit for this feeble response.
The posture was also condemned on Thursday evening by culture secretary Lucy Frazer, whose department oversees sports and who is Jewish. She stated, “I have made my dissent regarding the FA’s decision to not illuminate the Wembley Stadium arch in the wake of the heinous terrorist attacks in Israel last weekend abundantly clear to the FA.”
The Premier League announced that from October 21st to the 23rd, there will be a moment of silence at its matches, and players, managers, and match officials will don black armbands to symbolize “the escalating crisis in Israel and Gaza.”
The EFL said the same rules would apply to this weekend’s fifteen League One and League Two games.
Premier League clubs are cautious of appearing to have taken sides, and the league issued the following statement: “The Premier League strongly condemns the horrific and brutal acts of violence against innocent civilians and is horrified and saddened by the escalating crisis in Israel and Gaza. We offer our sympathies to the impacted towns, families, and victims and hope for peace.
Premier League and EFL pledged a gift to British Red Cross humanitarian operations. Our collective thoughts are with the families, friends, and communities affected by the escalating conflict, as well as the innocent individuals who have perished, according to the EFL.
Moeen Ali, a cricketer, posted an image of the Palestinian flag on Instagram alongside a quote attributed to American Muslim human rights activist Malcolm X: “If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you loving the oppressors while hating the oppressed.” Ali expressed his support for the Palestinian people as Israel seeks to “crush and destroy” the Hamas operation in the Gaza Strip.
The one-time vice-captain of England swiftly removed the post and re-posted the quotation accompanied by a photograph of Malcolm X, without providing any additional commentary.
He is not the sole Muslim cricketer participating in the World Cup who has openly endorsed the Palestinians while expressing no remorse for the lives lost in Israel on Saturday. Mohammad Rizwan of Pakistan dedicated his century against Sri Lanka on Wednesday to “our brothers and sisters in Gaza.
The England and Wales Cricket Board issued the following statement in response to recent events in Israel and Palestine: “We deeply lament the tragic loss of innocent lives. Our sympathies and prayers are with the affected communities and the families and friends of all the innocent victims and those who remain missing.
Although sport may appear inconsequential in comparison to the distressing events that we have all witnessed, it also provides an opportunity for individuals to unite and be reminded that there is considerably more that unites us than divides us.” At this moment, it is imperative that we all unite in our aspiration for peace.
