 Innovative Minds © 2014. All Rights Reserved. www.inminds.co.uk | ||||
Egyptian soccer player punished for "Sympathize With Gaza" shirt, double standards?Mohamed Ismail, IkhwanWeb - Egypt  Egyptian soccer star Aboutrika showing support for Gaza The tragic events in Gaza Strip echoed in the soccer fields in Ghana, which hosts the 2008 African Cup of Nations tournament, when Egyptian player Mohamed Aboutrika wore a tee shirt reading "sympathize with Gaza" in arabic and English. Aboutrika flashed the shirt after he scored his first goal in veiw of cameras and millions of spectators throughout the world which prompted the referee to slap him with yellow warning card for violating the FIFA rules which prohibit religious and political slogans during the games, although this phrase is more humanitarian than political.  Meanwhile, Aboutrika’s action drew huge public support which sympathized with the player. Arabic websites were flooded with messages of support and condemnation of the referee’s decision to punish Aboutrika.  Ghanian soccer player John Paintsil The public was legitimately asking why Aboutrika was accused of politicizing the soccer game by simply wearing a shirt carrying a humanitarian message while Ghanian soccer player John Paintsil was not punished when he waved an Israeli flag to celebrate a goal his teammates scored against Czech Republic in the 2006 World Cup, although Israel had nothing to do with the game and did not even qualify for the tournament.  For his part, Hadi Khashaba, a former player and currently a football coordinator at Al Ahly Sports Club, confirmed to Ikhwanweb that what Aboutrika did is a mere humanitarian action which has no relation with politics. He said that the player tried through this symbolic action to express his feelings for the besieged Palestinians in Gaza . He also wanted to send another message, that soccer players especially Egyptians are connected to the issues taking place around them. Khashaba also confirmed that what Aboutrika did is a minimum of what any member of the Egyptian soccer team can offer to the Palestinian cause and to support the people of Gaza and contribute to ending the tight blockade imposed by Israeli Occupation Forces. Shawqi Gharib, the assistant coach of the Egyptian soccer team said that the organizing committee informed all teams that they shouldn"t wear any shirts bearing any political slogans. Saturday"s match ended with an Egyptian win over Sudans 3-0 to give the Egyptian team a lead in its group and to inch closer to qualifying for the second round of the finals of the African Cup of Nations. Source: http://www.ikhwanweb.com/Article.asp?ID=15684&LevelID=2&SectionID=0   Also Of InterestPage URL: http://inminds.com/article.php?id=10277
|
|
Support Us
If you agree with our work then please support us.Campaigns INMINDS Facebook Live Feed Latest Video's
INMINDS Twitter Feed Tweets by @InmindsComBoycott Israel Campaign  Featured Video's
You need Flash player 8+ and JavaScript enabled to view this video.
 [all videos (over 200)..] Featured MP3 Podcast  "The occupation can only end when pressure is applied from outside. Who is going to apply this pressure? The United States is not going to apply the pressure because Israel is its rotwiller, Israel is its local enforcement - a junior partner in the Middle-East, it is a special relationship - Israel is the US rotwiller. The British government is not going to stop it because the British government is the poodle of the United States, this is another special relationship. So who is going to apply it? We are going to apply the pressure. Civil society, ordinary people apply pressure by applying boycott - by boycotting Israeli goods, and exports, by boycotting tourism to Israel, by boycotting academic institutions which are part of the machinery of oppression and torture.." Israeli socialist dissident, Professor at Kings College London Enough Occupation Rally, June 2007 [3min / 2Mb] [need flash]
 [all podcasts..] Newsletter Feedback |
 |
 |