[Football] England v Australia to mark Israel/Gaza deaths

[Live by the sea]

From todays guardian online -

It’s the right and proper thing to do & puts the FA in line with the British government

The FA will announce plans on Thursday to mark the recent atrocities in Israel at the friendly match between England and Australia, after leading Jewish figures within the game urged them to act.

As the leader of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, said that he believed the Wembley arch should be illuminated in the colours of the Israeli flag following attacks by Hamas across the country last weekend, pressure grew on the FA to break the silence that has been consistent across the professional game this week.


The Guardian understands that senior executives within the game who are Jewish reached out to the FA on Wednesday to urge them to speak up or in some way commemorate the loss of life in the Hamas attacks, with the numbers dead now estimated at over 1,000.

 

[Sussax]

From todays guardian online -

It’s the right and proper thing to do & puts the FA in line with the British government

The FA will announce plans on Thursday to mark the recent atrocities in Israel at the friendly match between England and Australia, after leading Jewish figures within the game urged them to act.

As the leader of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, said that he believed the Wembley arch should be illuminated in the colours of the Israeli flag following attacks by Hamas across the country last weekend, pressure grew on the FA to break the silence that has been consistent across the professional game this week.


The Guardian understands that senior executives within the game who are Jewish reached out to the FA on Wednesday to urge them to speak up or in some way commemorate the loss of life in the Hamas attacks, with the numbers dead now estimated at over 1,000.

Let’s not derail this thread, which I’m sure is your aim here.

 

[Live by the sea]

It’s not. My post is new info I’ve just seen that relates to the game on Friday . This is the only thread to post it on . It’s for information only . It’s Wembley related albeit with a news angle , I’m not trying to derail anything.

I’m not adding anything political to what has been stated in the guardian nor will I ,

 

[Bozza]

For context, the posts above this have been moved from a thread where the now first post in this thread was posted, to as it did not relate to that thread in any way at all.

 

[Driver8]

Presumably for balance the second half will start with a minute’s silence for those who have died in Gaza and the Wembley arch will be lit up in the colours of the Palestinian flag?

 

[LamieRobertson]

Presumably for balance the second half will start with a minute’s silence for those who have died in Gaza and the Wembley arch will be lit up in the colours of the Palestinian flag?

Quite …a horrendous loss of life in Israel and in Gaza ….perhaps some thought for the thousands killed in the recent earthquake in Afghanistan

 

[cunning fergus]

Presumably for balance the second half will start with a minute’s silence for those who have died in Gaza and the Wembley arch will be lit up in the colours of the Palestinian flag?

Isn’t the answer here that sporting bodies leaderships should do their upmost not to get embroiled in politics of any kind.

No doubt that would upset some, but it would preserve integrity. As it stands, given the last 5 years the FA can no longer use the argument that it keeps outside politics of any kind.

You reap what you sow……

 

[Bob!]

It seems the FA are doing the right thing by not taking sides.

Wembley Stadium arch won't be lit in Israel's colours - as flags and kits also restricted

Despite calls to show support for Israel, the FA will not to light up the Wembley arch in the colours of the country's flag.

news.sky.com

 

[Giraffe]

Presumably for balance the second half will start with a minute’s silence for those who have died in Gaza and the Wembley arch will be lit up in the colours of the Palestinian flag?

I don't recall you posting the same thing when Russia invaded Ukraine. There are casualties on both sides of that as well, but Wembley ony lite the arch in Ukrainian colours.

They should be lighting for Israel, it's exactly the same thing. They're just too scared.

 

[aolstudios]

I don't recall you posting the same thing when Russia invaded Ukraine. There are casualties on both sides of that as well, but Wembley ony lite the arch in Ukrainian colours.

They should be lighting for Israel, it's exactly the same thing. They're just too scared.

This

 

[Colonel Mustard]

This has got way out of hand IMO. I don't know why football authorities feel the need to mark international military events and natural disasters in the first place. We all know what's happened is terrible. If we feel that strongly we can make donations to charity or do something else meaningful. The minute's silence and lighting things up in certain colours blah blah -- it's the modern phenomenon of showing concern without actually having to get off your arse and do something. As the FA are discovering it also becomes easy to fall off that cliff into controversy -- do we show the Israeli colours and piss off the Palestinians and their supporters or do we show no colours and come under fire for 'not supporting Israel'.

Don't mistake my view not feeling concern. It's bullshit gesture politics.

 

[Bob!]

I don't recall you posting the same thing when Russia invaded Ukraine. There are casualties on both sides of that as well, but Wembley ony lite the arch in Ukrainian colours.

They should be lighting for Israel, it's exactly the same thing. They're just too scared.

I don't recall Ukraine dropping bombs on Russian citizens.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I don't recall you posting the same thing when Russia invaded Ukraine. There are casualties on both sides of that as well, but Wembley ony lite the arch in Ukrainian colours.

They should be lighting for Israel, it's exactly the same thing. They're just too scared.

Mate this is a tough one though.

I think unlike the Russia Ukraine situation there are huge sensitivities for people on both sides. I don't see that there are too many British Russians who are desperately upset about Ukraine resisting their military advance (and if there are the FA have rightly reasoned .... f*** em)

In The Russia Ukraine war the only innocents dying are Ukranians. The only Russians dying are combatants

Near Gaza there has been the most appalling terrorist attack imaginable. But innocents die on both sides. More than that, religion of maybe the players, their families, staff, officials, the fans attending, make taking a side potentially an incendiary course of action.

The first duty of the FA is to put on a safe event. They are right not to get involved here.

 

[Driver8]

I don't recall you posting the same thing when Russia invaded Ukraine. There are casualties on both sides of that as well, but Wembley ony lite the arch in Ukrainian colours.

They should be lighting for Israel, it's exactly the same thing. They're just too scared.

I’m not getting into an argument but I don’t think it’s the same thing at all. How many Russian civilians have died in the Ukraine conflict?

 

[Brovion]

I don't recall you posting the same thing when Russia invaded Ukraine. There are casualties on both sides of that as well, but Wembley ony lite the arch in Ukrainian colours.

They should be lighting for Israel, it's exactly the same thing. They're just too scared.

Eh? It's not close to the same thing. If in response to the Russian invasion the Ukrainians had sealed off Russia and then proceeded to bomb it indiscriminately, killing children, whilst at the same time preparing to invade it with their vastly superior armour - then it would be the same thing.

If they had to light the arch then it should be in both Israeli and Palestinian colours as there are no Goodies and Baddies in this conflict - and no winners either, only losers.

 

[cunning fergus]

I don't recall Ukraine dropping bombs on Russian citizens.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/28/world/europe/missiles-ukraine-russia-taganrog.html

 

[drew]

I don't recall you posting the same thing when Russia invaded Ukraine. There are casualties on both sides of that as well, but Wembley ony lite the arch in Ukrainian colours.

They should be lighting for Israel, it's exactly the same thing. They're just too scared.

What a bizarre analogy! In one case, you have a nation state invading, unprovoked, another nation state and that second state attempting to defend it's territory. What happened at the weekend was an attacked by a terrorist group on a nation state and the subsequent response of that state to lay siege to several million people, the majority of which are innocent and not recognized as members of the aforementioned terrorist group. The state has also chosen to take innocent lives as collateral damage in their pursuit of the terrorists.

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

This has got way out of hand IMO. I don't know why football authorities feel the need to mark international military events and natural disasters in the first place. We all know what's happened is terrible. If we feel that strongly we can make donations to charity or do something else meaningful. The minute's silence and lighting things up in certain colours blah blah -- it's the modern phenomenon of showing concern without actually having to get off your arse and do something. As the FA are discovering it also becomes easy to fall off that cliff into controversy -- do we show the Israeli colours and piss off the Palestinians and their supporters or do we show no colours and come under fire for 'not supporting Israel'.

Don't mistake my view not feeling concern. It's bullshit gesture politics.

This with absolute BELLS ON. It's a load of utter bollocks. Couldn't care less if people started chanting instead, to be quite frank. I'm not at football for that. Minutes silence are completely losing their impact. Remembrance Day or losing a Monarch/PM or a war that affects US as a country, ONLY..not for every negative event.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

At both Old Trafford and the AEK game a few days later we all observed a minute's silence for victims of an earthquake in Morocco. A UEFA directive. On their website they said: "UEFA will be holding a moment of silence at all upcoming national team and club competition matches as of tomorrow and until 21 September, in memory of the victims of the tragic earthquake in Morocco. The thoughts of European football are with the people of Morocco in these difficult times."

UEFA are fabulously wealthy. Why not donate £10m to the relief fund instead of this "let's congratulate ourselves on how compassionate we look" gesture which achieved absolutely nothing for the victims.

 

[Justice]

I don't recall you posting the same thing when Russia invaded Ukraine. There are casualties on both sides of that as well, but Wembley ony lite the arch in Ukrainian colours.

They should be lighting for Israel, it's exactly the same thing. They're just too scared.

Not the same thing at all, in August last year Israel targeted Gaza with missile strikes. It’s not as black and white as Russia invading Ukraine.