By Nechemia Meyers
Sometimes the most significant news is about things that didn’t happen. This is the case in regard to the thwarting of a plan to burn a Danish flag at a recent game of Bnei Sakhnin, the only top-ranked Israeli soccer team in the Arab sector.
Bnei Sakhnin is more than just a group of sportsmen. It is a symbol of the possibility that Arabs can make it to the top in Israeli soccer. And, indeed, the year before last, won the Israel National Cup.
The team, which has a Jewish coach and a number of Jewish players, enjoys the support not only of Israeli Arabs, but also of the wider Arab world. Qatar donated $10-million towards the construction of the team’s new Doha Stadium, which was also financed in part by substantial funds from the Israel government, and to a lesser extent, from private donors.
Over the years there have been a good many individual Arab soccer stars, and generally speaking, they have been well received by Jewish fans – except for the supporters of Betar Jerusalem. Indeed, a recent game between Bnei Sakhnin and Betar was punctuated by racist outbursts from the stands and followed by a riot.
Ironically, the owners of Betar Jerusalem were seriously contemplating the purchase of Abbas Suan, the top player of Bnei Sakhnin, who scored a key goal for the Israel national team in the recent World Cup preliminaries. But objections from Betar fans torpedoed the plan.
Suan needn't worry. He has already come a long way from his impoverished childhood. He was one of nine children and his first soccer balls were made from an assortment of rags. Now money is not a problem. As it is with popular athletes everywhere he supplements the salary he receives from his team with income from advertising. Suan has been hired by two firms – a hamburger chain and a bank – to promote their image, albeit, so far only in the Arab sector.
Now he is thinking of opening his own enterprises, including a sports store and a soccer academy.
“I’ll choose only the good children, Jews and Arabs, and accompany them from age 10 until they join a regular team,” he said. “I’ll hire a small group of coaches to assist me.”
There is also the possibility of a European career. In that respect he would be following in the footsteps of another Israeli Arab, Walid Badir, who also scored a crucial goal in the World Cup preliminaries. As a result, the racist chant, “No Arabs, No Terrorism” was replaced during the competition by “No Arabs, No Goals.”
There are difficult moments for Arab players who take part in international games, at the beginning of which national anthems are played. Badir stands at attention with the rest of the players, but can’t bring himself to sing the words of a song that speaks of the Jews longing for a return to their ancient homeland.
At a recent conference on racism in soccer, Badir said he hoped that one day the anthem would incorporate something that represents him as an Israeli Arab. “Then I’ll be able to sing as well,” he said.
Nechemia Meyers is a freelance writer living in Rehovot, Israel.
Index | Letters to the Editor | Main Page | Op Ed | Photos
Send Letters To The Editor:
editor@jewishtribune.ca
This site hosted by:
vex.net
