When I read about Israeli football
club Beitar Jerusalem signing of two Muslim football players, my first thought
was this is going to explode. And true enough it has and we have not seen the
end of it.
Gabriel Kadiev and Zaur Sadayev were
signed from FC Terek Grozny and that sparked a violent reaction from hardcore
fans who want to keep the club pure and free of any Arabs and Muslims. It is
suspected that these fans even went to the extent of burning down one of the
club’s offices.
I can certainly understand Jewish
sentiment towards the Arabs and Muslims as Israel has constantly faced
oppression and attacks since their independence after World War II but one
cannot generalize everyone. I am sure that both Kadiev and Sadayev have thought
long and hard about playing in Israel and for a club with known rightists as
fans.
What if it’s the same for Israelis in
Europe? What if Israeli Yossi Benayoun is disallowed to play for clubs because
of who he is? It’s insane, isn’t it?
The other week, I was informed by a
UFL club coach that one player said that for him to sign with his team he would
have to remove the Africans on them. As good as the player was, the coach and
the team voted not to add him however talented he may be.
Filipinos, like the Israelis cannot
afford to be racists. We of all people who know what it is like to be put in
derogatory terms and to be the subject of racial abuse. I love how Philippine
football has been more cosmopolitan; more homogenous. The nature of the local
game is in the process of being defined for the next generation. We should be
careful of what we will bequeath to those who come after us.
I hope for the success of Kadiev and
Sadayev with Beitar Jerusalem. It is a courageous act to make knowing what they are stepping into. I hope the fans realize that the name
of the club is more important that the ethnicity of the players.
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