By Andrew Warshaw
November 28 – The recent hostilities in Gaza have spilled over into the football arena with pro-Palestinian representatives criticising Israel’s military offensive, which is claimed to have damaged vital sporting infrastructure.
According to an organisation calling itself Red Card Israeli Racism, a 13-year-old boy was shot in the abdomen while playing football with his friends in ‘Abassan village, east of the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis, and died in hospital shortly afterwards.
The organisation reports that a stadium and sports complex where the Palestine team had prepared for the London 2012 Olympics were among facilities destroyed during the hostilities and that a number of football fixtures had to be moved – although no specifics have been given.
Israel is due to stage next year’s under-21 finals and with the draw scheduled to take place later today, some 20 British MPs have signed a motion protesting against the host nation.
Red Card Israeli Racism in Britain has meanwhile called on the English Football Association to support a change of venue for the tournament.
British campaign coordinator Geoff Lee said: “In addition to the increasing racist violence against Arabs in Israel which is well known to UEFA, the latest attacks by Israel on the besieged people of Gaza must make the UEFA delegates rethink this issue.”
The organisation has also distributed a statement translated from French and apparently signed jointly by a number of players including Frédéric Kanouté, Moussa Sow, Demba Ba and Jacques Faty, condemning Israeli military attacks but taking no note of the recent cease-fire.
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