I tried hard to take a hiatus from the world of politics to dive into a new exciting world, the World Cup. But as the saying goes, you can take the boy out of politics but you can not take the politics out of the boy. For a week now, I have been receiving overwhelming number of responses and hits regarding the Israeli flag controversy in the World Cup. The controversy started when Ghanaian soccer player John Pentsil celebrated the goals scored by his teammates against the Czech Republic at the World Cup on Saturday by waving the Israeli flag at the stadium in Cologne. The responses varied: Salam called it unethical, Abu-Shreek threatened to boycott the World Cup, Hamzeh wished that other players would raise the Palestinian flag, Hareega believed that Penstil must be a new immigrant to Israel, Imad declared that the Israeli flag resembled humanity, freedom and democracy and ridiculed other Arabic countries' flags which resembled dictatorship in his opinion. On the other hand, Mordchai, an Israeli fellow who served in the IDF wished that the Middle East would become like Europe in the near future; borderless for people to travel freely. Finally, the most interesting comment came from a Ghanian fellow:
Hi all. I'm from Ghana. I just wanted people to know that many people here are upset by what Painstil did. As you know, Ghana is neutral about Israel and Pentsil doesn't in any way represent what we stand for. It is noteworthy to note that Ghana also has a large Muslim population and hardly any Jews. Something to think about.
The truth is that sports and politics shouldn’t be intermingled. Although no two topics are more fervently discussed among men, they are both critically important to be seprated for the sake of the sport itself and the survival of nations.
15 comments:
The guy plays in Israel. He found out that some of his fans have traveled all the way from Israel to watch him play. Add to that the fact that Israel is not in the world cup. Hence the flag-waving.
Although if I were Ghanian, I might get a bit pissy as well.
Natalia, I think that his gesture was not intentional to cause harm, but defintely show how sensetive the Israeil/Palestinian conflict to our hearts.
Well, obviously it's a sensitive issue, but this just goes to show that it's not his problem.
"Well, obviously it's a sensitive issue, but this just goes to show that it's not his problem."
Would you be saying that if he was a third country sportsman waving the South African flag 20 years ago? The fact is, although it was not intended as a political statement it was largely interpreted as one, especially since most players these days play in countries other than their own, you dont see Henri randomly whipping out a British flag or Ronaldinho a Spanish one, and for good reason, because they are their to play for one country, their own!
A Ghana Football Association spokesman apologized Monday and said Pantsil had been cautioned.
“He is obviously unaware of the implications of what he did. He’s unaware of the international politics. We apologize to anybody who was offended and we promise that it will never happen again,” the spokesman said. “He did not act out of malice for the Arab people or in support of Israel. He was naive.”
Well I have read the apology and I think it is phony. The player is "unware of the international politics." Well, give a big break. If ones are not aware of the Israeil Palestinian conflict then he/she is either mentally retarded or currently lives in Mars. Sicne the the guy lives in Israel so he must be retarded to think that waiving the flag won't send any political statment.
C'mon guys, let's be objective here. Would you be all up in his grill if he had waved a Palestinian flag around?
He plays for Israel. His fans came to watch him from Israel. It's unfortunate that his actions should be politicized, but frankly, it's a free speech issue. I'm not sure what the FIFA regulations are on this, and if he has broken any, he should be chastized, but beyond that, it's his life, it's his game. He's out there sweating and working for his team.
Now, if he had, for whatever personal reasons, pulled out a Palestianian flag, and, say, the mother of a suicide bomb victim was in the stands, what would we all say to her? I hope most of us on here have enough presence of mind to feel sympathy for her loss, but would we honestly back down if she wanted him punished or ejected or something? Hell no.
Free speech should go both ways. We complain when Palestinians are denied a voice on the international arena, but if we're ready to jump down the throat of a football player displaying his affinity for a country he plays in... Well, I don't see that as a step in the right direction. Of course, I'm not personally invested. So fire away.
C'mon guys, let's be objective here. Would you be all up in his grill if he had waved a Palestinian flag around?
He plays for Israel. His fans came to watch him from Israel. It's unfortunate that his actions should be politicized, but frankly, it's a free speech issue. I'm not sure what the FIFA regulations are on this, and if he has broken any, he should be chastized, but beyond that, it's his life, it's his game. He's out there sweating and working for his team.
Now, if he had, for whatever personal reasons, pulled out a Palestianian flag, and, say, the mother of a suicide bomb victim was in the stands, what would we all say to her? I hope most of us on here have enough presence of mind to feel sympathy for her loss, but would we honestly back down if she wanted him punished or ejected or something? Hell no.
Free speech should go both ways. We complain when Palestinians are denied a voice on the international arena, but if we're ready to jump down the throat of a football player displaying his affinity for a country he plays in... Well, I don't see that as a step in the right direction. Of course, I'm not personally invested. So fire away.
As a palestinian.
Let me just state that your average palestinian could care less about this incident cause it seriously meant nothing nor have made any tiny twennie difference in the our messed up situation.
I mean comon my people have suffered enough.The last that might annoy them would be player raising the israelis flag.I f anything i felt sorry more for the ghanians.
Of course, free speech goes both way Natalia. However, I am sure that if a Saudi player decides tommorow to raise a Palestinian flag, then probably many Israelis citizens or sympathizers will interpret this a political statment. And you're right they have the right to do so, so we do!
Yasse, you are right. I think this is a trivial incident of what you have to go through on a daily basis. However, and unfortunately when it comes to anything that potentially would shed a light about the Israeil/Palestinian conflict,then people on both sides go crazy.
Think of the movie "Paradise Now", thousands of Israeils wrote a petition asking the US congress and Hollywood to stop the movie from competing in Oscar. It is a trivial thing but we are in a proganda's war and we should do whatever we can do to win it.
The conflict and the Palestinians had nothing to do with his flag waiving. Respect for Israel and her fans should not be seen as being anti-Arab or anti-Muslim. This is not a zero-sum game.
hi,
i'm from ghana and i think (i don't know the guy or his motives) what you are seeing is nowhere near as simple as the comments so far indicate.
it has little to do with the israeli/palestinian conflict. It has to do with a certain naivete on the part of the fellow mixed with a feeling of gratitude mixed with a desire to ingratiate himself with his new country of residence - underlying all this is a deep-seated feeling of something that isn't easy to describe. it's not inferiority exactly - more a flight from one's own self - something that afflicts many black people - a legacy of a quite terrible past that remains largely ignored (even, sadly, by us).
Hi i am Yasse again
for the poster above:
A mixed feeling of gratitude and "inferiority"or "Flight".Why is that?
This is out of the subject but your people have done great out there if anything I am sure Ghanians are proud.
He did not need to raise any flag
to make himself feel better.
I may not quite well understand your pomint though.
For the poster who mentioned that hypothetically speaking if the Saudis
raised the palestinian flag.
Let me just say and this is my personal take on this.Feel free to disagree.
I am completely against any team raising others flag(whatever that Flag is) in the world cup.Since in that event everyone is represeting his and his only nation and not others.(People are making it out to be as an israeli/pale thing but lets us wonder if the ghanian player raised the Frech flag.
There would be definitely reactions/Responses.
Its only natural that people start wondering.
The move the player is naive.I cannot imagine Beckham Ronaldo or.And yes why would a any player(whereever he comes from) raise the palestinian flag he would be making a political statement.Honestly, why else would he do that if he is not palestinian team.
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