Backlash grows at FA’s refusal to light up Wembley for Israel: Government’s anti-Semitism adviser slams ‘mind-blowing’ decision and Lucy Frazer is ‘extremely disappointed’ – as Israeli football boss blasts Premier League over response to Hamas attacks
A backlash over the FA’s decision not to light up the Wembley arch grew today, as the government’s antisemitism adviser called it ‘mind-blowing’, a rabbi quit the association’s ‘Faith in Football’ group and an Israeli football boss declared himself ‘disappointed beyond words’.
Sporting bodies across the UK have been urged by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to pay tribute at sporting events to victims of violence in Israel after attacks by Palestinian terror group Hamas on the country.
Ahead of tonight’s friendly between England and Australia at Wembley Stadium, the FA said players will wear black armbands and a period of silence will be observed to remember victims of the conflict.
However, the arch will not be lit and flags, replica kits and other representations of nationality beyond those related to the two countries will not be allowed inside the venue.
Lord John Mann, the Government’s antisemitism adviser, said lighting up the arch would have provided a ‘message of hope and comfort’ to Britain’s Jewish community.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Israeli professional football leagues wrote to the Premier League to say he was ‘amazed shocked and disappointed beyond words’ at the lack of response to Hamas’s terrorist attack in Israel last week.
After five days of silence the Premier League finally issued a statement yesterday in which it said they were ‘shocked and saddened by the escalating crisis in Israel and Gaza,’ but did not mention the word terrorism.
The Wembley Arch pictured on a cloudy morning in North London today
Lord John Mann, the Government’s antisemitism adviser, told LBC’s Nick Ferrari: ‘I made it easy for them (the FA). I said, ‘Why don’t you put up the Jewish prayer colours which have been there for thousands of years?’
In another blow to the FA , the chair of its Faith in Football group, Rabbi Alex Goldberg, announced his resignation in an impassioned letter to the association’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham
Erez Halfon, who chairs the IPFL, told Premier League CEO Richard Masters that English football’s response to the attacks had been too ambiguous and has not shown enough solidarity with murdered Israeli citizens.
‘We are amazed, shocked and disappointed beyond words at the Premier League’s lack of ability to condemn these acts,’ he wrote. ‘This is not about a conflict between two people. This is about leadership and the world where we want to live and raise our children. Your initial message was ambiguous, and we cannot allow any misinterpretation.
‘We would greatly appreciate the chance to discuss this matter with you at your earliest convenience, particularly about its impact on the global fans of the English Premier League.’
In his letter sent yesterday, Mr Halfon contrasted the Premier League’s response with that of western governments, who were quick to condemn Hamas and pay tribute to the victims.
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‘We would like to stress that this is Israel’s 9/11, no less,’ he wrote. ‘Many countries have expressed their unequivocal support of the State of Israel. The greatest monuments in the world were lit up in blue and white or with the Israeli flag, including The White House, The Eiffel Tower, The Arch of Titus, 10 Downing St and others.
‘In a joint statement by President Macron of France, Chancellor Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Meloni of Italy, Prime Minister Sunak of the United Kingdom, and President Biden of the United States, they ‘expressed their steadfast and united support to the State of Israel, and their unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism.
‘Richard – the words ‘unequivocal condemnation’, ‘appalling acts of terrorism’, ‘massacre’, ‘slaughter’, and ‘bloodshed’ have all been written in those statements. Please think about the level at which something needs to be undeniably true for a diplomatic statement of this magnitude to be issued.’
Speaking this morning to LBC’s Nick Ferrari, Lord Mann said the FA had missed a chance to show their solidarity with Britain’s Jewish community.
He said: ‘I made it easy for them (the FA). I said, ‘Why don’t you put up the Jewish prayer colours which have been there for thousands of years?’
‘The Wembley arch is seen by the Jewish community in north London more than any other icon, and the fact they couldn’t do that for an hour or two last night just to give that message of hope and comfort, I find depressing.
‘I find it quite mind-blowing. Instead they’re having a minute’s silence on a Friday evening when not a single Jewish person will be present.’
Chairman of the Israeli Professional Football Leagues, Erez Halfon, wrote a letter to Masters
It was also illuminated in rainbow colours in support of the LGBTQ + community amid the ‘OneLove’ armband row at the Qatar World Cup
The Wembley Arch was lit up in the colours of the Ukrainian flag just a day after Russia invaded the country in February 2022
Last year, the FA lit the arch in the blue and yellow colours of the Ukraine flag after the country was invaded by Russia. In 2015 the arch was bathed in the familiar colours of the French Tricolore as a sign of solidarity with all the victims of the Bataclan attack in Paris, where extremists killed 130 people.
In another blow to the FA , the chair of its Faith in Football group, Rabbi Alex Goldberg, announced his resignation in an impassioned letter to the association’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham.
In the letter, seen by Jewish News, said he was ‘profoundly disappointed in the FA’s decision not to have a specific tribute during the upcoming matches against Australia and Italy at Wembley Stadium, to the victims of the worst single atrocity committed against Jewish targets since the Shoah’.
Rabbi Goldberg, who has worked with the FA for 16 years, said it was ‘imperative that our responses and actions, especially in international platforms like those at Wembley Stadium, are unequivocal in their support for the victims of such atrocities’.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: ‘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.
‘It is especially disappointing in light of the FA’s bold stance on other terrorist attacks in the recent past.
‘Words and actions matter. The Government is clear: We stand with Israel.’
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Meanwhile, British Jewish journalist Jack Mendel added his voice to criticism of the FA, writing in City AM that ‘passivity’ towards antisemitism in the UK had left him ‘seriously worried about the future’.
Gareth Southgate defended the FA last night amid accusations it was ‘sending a message that Jews don’t count’.
England fans have also been warned that Israeli flags will be removed from them at the turnstiles as the FA – which has been branded as ‘spineless’ by Jewish supporter groups – faces questions over its slow response to the terror attacks by Hamas.
The Three Lions boss said that he recognised how ‘difficult’ the FA’s decision was, and that while he was not involved in the discussions, he and his squad will get behind the stance which comes with ‘good intentions’.
His comments came after Lord Mann had said the sport body’s response to the attacks by Hamas terrorists represents ‘a failure of leadership’.
Speaking to Telegraph Sport, Lord Mann said: ‘I don’t speak for the Jewish community, but I already know what they think about this.
‘People have rung me and messaged me repeatedly from across the Jewish community and the message is that, in terms of football, ”Jews don’t count”.
Lord Mann said that the ‘FA have let down the Jewish community’, adding: ‘It’s a failure of leadership at the top of football and their arguments to Parliament about a football regulator and not needing one or that the FA should be the regulator are dramatically weakened by it.’
Last year, the arch turned blue and yellow in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It was also illuminated in rainbow colours in support of LGBT people amid the ‘OneLove’ armband row at the Qatar World Cup.
But rather than perform a similar tribute for Israel, the FA said it would hold a minute’s silence and ask players to wear black armbands. Lord Mann suggested a holding a minute’s silence during the Jewish Sabbath was ‘useless because there won’t be any Jewish people there’.
He also said that he made the ‘trauma’ that Jewish communities were facing in the UK at the moment clear to the FA and explained why he thought it was critical that football showed their support.
England manager Gareth Southgate (pictured) said that he recognised how ‘difficult’ the FA’s decision was, adding that he was not involved in the discussions but said his squad would get behind the stance taken
He has asked the FA to name the Britons killed during the Hamas attacks on the Wembley screens. At this stage, 17 Brits – including children – are either dead or missing.
The FA’s refusal to light up the arch – a landmark which is seen across the capital – comes after the Government wrote a letter to sports bodies encouraging them to pay tribute to the victims of Hamas terror attacks at upcoming events.
The letter read: ‘In the light of the attacks in Israel on behalf of the secretary of state we would encourage you to mark the events in line with previous events where sport has come together.’
Speaking on the eve of England’s clash with Australia, Southgate – who described the scenes in Israel and Gaza as ‘incredibly disturbing’ – said: ‘In my lifetime it’s one of the most complex situations in the world. And I think everybody is grappling with how best to deal with that.
‘I don’t know what it’s like to walk in the shoes of people on either sides of that conflict. What I do know is that I think people at the FA will have consulted with everybody they possibly can and they would have tried to make best decision with good intentions.
‘Clearly whatever decision they came to would have been criticised in one way or another so I also recognise how difficult it was for them. I wasn’t involved in those discussions they were long and went on for a long time, I know. But they’ve decided to take the stance they have, and we will get on with that.’
Tory party chairman Lee Anderson said: ‘The cowards at the FA need to man up and light up Wembley in support of Israel. Failure to do so will leave a dark stain on our beautiful game.’
Joseph Cohen, executive director of the Israel Advocacy Movement, said: ‘That the FA is too cowardly to show solidarity for the dead leaves us angry, hurt and upset. 1,200 people were murdered in the biggest massacre of the Jews since the Holocaust and they cannot even flick a switch to show respect for the dead.’
Chelsea Jewish Supporters’ Group were among those to criticise the decision
Chelsea Jewish Supporters’ Group were among those to criticise the FA’s decision, tweeting: ‘This spineless response is why we need people to speak out against terrorism.’
Neil O’Brien MP described the decision as ‘just pathetic’ while Lord Ian Austin said it was a ‘complete disgrace’.
Meanwhile, political commentator Toby Young tweeted: ‘Kick out racism, but turn a blind eye to the murder of 1,200 Jews by genocidal racists because it might upset some racists in our ”community”. Pathetic.’
The FA said in a statement yesterday afternoon: ‘On Friday evening, we will remember the innocent victims of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine.
‘Our thoughts are with them, and their families and friends in England and Australia and with all the communities who are affected by this ongoing conflict. We stand for humanity and an end to the death, violence, fear and suffering.
‘England and Australia players will wear black armbands during their match at Wembley Stadium and there will also be a period of silence held before kick off.
‘Following discussions with partners and external stakeholders, we will only permit flags, replica kits and other representations of nationality for the competing nations inside Wembley Stadium for the upcoming matches against Australia [13 Oct] and Italy [17 Oct].
‘The British Red Cross have also launched an emergency appeal to support the people affected by the humanitarian crisis in the region, and we will promote this appeal within the stadium on Friday.’
The Board of Deputies of British Jews criticised the FA statement – pointing out that it made ‘no mention of the mass terrorist murders of hundreds of innocent Israelis last Saturday’
The FA’s page on flags at Wembley says: ‘Should a guest arrives at Wembley Stadium connected by EE and their flag does not fall under the above guidelines, and they have not gained permission from Wembley Stadium, the flag will be confiscated at the turnstiles and not allowed into the Stadium.’
A meeting took place yesterday at FA headquarters to discuss how to mark the attacks, where some in attendance claimed lighting the arch could be divisive, according to the BBC.
Senior officials were said to be worried of creating a perception that they are taking sides in the conflict.
The Israeli flag was projected on 10 Downing Street on Sunday evening in London
It was also projected on the House of Commons in Westminster and several other buildings
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