The English Football Association (FA) is facing criticism from within and outside the Jewish community for failing to publicly condemn Hamas, the Palestinian militant organization at war with Israel. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, Israel Professional Football League President Erez Halpon sent a letter to English Premier League (EPL) CEO Richard Masters on Nov. 13, criticizing the lukewarm response of English soccer to the conflict .”Many countries have unequivocally shown their support for Israel,” Halpern wrote, “French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and U.S. President Joe Biden have jointly expressed their unwavering support for Israel and condemnation of Hamas’ horrific acts of terrorism.”
“Terms like ‘unequivocal condemnation,’ ‘horrific acts of terrorism,’ and ‘genocide’ were used in the joint statement,” Masters continued. Please consider the fact that there are undeniable truths that require such language.” “I’m shocked beyond words that the EPL is lacking the ability to condemn this behavior when the truth is undeniable. “We expect clips, fans, leaders, and players to clearly and publicly condemn crimes against humanity. Your initial message was ambiguous.” The FA honored the victims of the conflict with a minute’s silence before the start of England’s test match against Australia at London’s Wembley Stadium, considered a “football shrine,” earlier in the day .It did not, however, light up the colors of the Israeli flag.
The FA has often used the lighting of Wembley Stadium’s archway to send a message during big events. Most notably, when Ukraine was invaded by Russia last yer, it lit up in the yellow and blue colors of the Ukrainian national anthem to show solidarity. At a meeting where the FA discussed the issue on Nov. 11, some attendees voiced strong concerns that the lights could be divisive, according to the BBC. Some senior figures also reportedly argued that the FA needed to be wary of the perception that it was taking sides in the Middle East conflict. Rabbi Alex Goldberg, the head of Faith and Football, an FA organization that campaigns against religious discrimination in football, quit his job in protest. According to Jewish News, Goldberg wrote to FA chief executive Mark Burlingham expressing his disappointment that the lights at Wembley Stadium were not turned off in the wake of the tragedy that targeted Jews.
Jonathan Adelman, chairman of the Tribute Trust, a Tottenham-affiliated charity that helps former players who played for the club, also resigned, saying the club’s morals were questionable, the Telegraph reported. Tottenham, like the FA and EPL, 토토사이트 has not issued a statement directly condemning Hamas beyond condolences for the victims.