October 13th 2023.
The Football Association has come under fire for their refusal to light the Wembley arch in the colours of the Israeli national flag. Ahead of Friday’s friendly between England and Australia at Wembley, the FA announced that players would wear black armbands and that a period of silence would be observed to remember the victims of the conflict.
The British Government had written to UK sports bodies to mark events in Israel appropriately, following attacks by Hamas militants on the country's territory last weekend and reports of a possible ground invasion. Despite this, the FA confirmed flags, replica kits and other representations of nationality besides those related to England or Australia would not be allowed inside Wembley.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer expressed her disappointment with the FA’s decision not to light up the Wembley arch in the colours of the Israeli flag. Frazer posted on social media, “I am extremely disappointed by the FA’s decision not to light up the Wembley Stadium arch following last weekend’s horrific terrorist attacks in Israel, and have made my views clear to the FA.” She went on to point out that the arch had previously been lit in yellow and blue in an expression of solidarity with Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and Government antisemitism adviser, Lord John Mann, criticised the FA statement. They pointed out that it made “no mention of the mass terrorist murders of hundreds of innocent Israelis last Saturday”. Mann told LBC on Friday morning, “I find it quite mind-blowing.”
England manager Southgate commented on the FA’s stance at Thursday’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Australia game, and accepted it was “one of the most complex situations in the world”. Southgate said, “What I do know is people at the FA will have consulted with everybody they possibly can and will have tried to make the best decision with good intentions.”
Teams in the EFL and Premier League will pay tribute to the victims of the conflict in their next rounds of matches. In addition, a period of silence will be observed ahead of kick-off at the weekend’s matches in the Women’s Super League, Women’s Championship and Women’s National League to “remember the innocent victims of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine”.
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