Football in Gaza

Little reported in the British media last week was the news that Gaza's main football stadium was intentionally hit by an Israeli air strike. The bomb left an enormous crater in the middle of the stadium.



A FIFA representative immediately condemned the attack, saying it was "without reason".

"The field was not being used by Palestinians as a missile launching pad, as Israel's ambassador to Switzerland had claimed," said Jerome Champagne, FIFA deputy general secretary in charge of political issues.

"FIFA has been fighting for more than a century to make this game universal. To hit a football field is really the wrong signal. Football should remain outside of politics."

An Israeli army spokesman later told Reuters that there was no confirmation the stadium was ever used as a launching pad for makeshift rockets. He added that the intention of the air strike was to "send a strong message to the Palestinians that Israel can target any point in the coastal strip and will not tolerate rocket fire at its citizens."

Today, the FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced that FIFA would pay for the rehabillitation of the football pitch in the Palestine stadium in Gaza. Mr Blatter said:

"In the world of today, which is disrupted by long-lasting disputes and violence, football is one of the very few universal tools mankind can use to bridge gaps between nations and peoples, and to symbolise what unites our planet over what divides it. FIFA's role is not to reprimand, but to help create bonds and ensure that the young people of the region have hope and the possibility to enjoy the school of life that football represents. Therefore, I call on the relevant authorities to do everything they can to allow Palestinian and Israeli football to develop."

This site has a policy not to carry pictures in it's posts. But I make this post an exception because the picture of the disfigurement of Gaza's best football pitch has a symbolism that not only goes beyond mere words, but also beyond the beautiful game itself.