Israel, sports and racism
‘Fans are taking the law into their own hands. There’s violence and vandalizing of cars. True, we’re Arabs, but we’re also citizens and we came to play soccer,’ says Mazen Ghnaim, head of the Bnei Sakhnin soccer club
When we get onto the field, fans of the opposite team have already begun chanting an hour before the game and go on until we leave the stadium. What purpose does this serve? Who really benefits?
At times, there’s violence. During the last game with Betar Jerusalem at the Ramat-Gan Stadium, I went outside to see cars being damaged and fans being hit. One Sakhnin fan almost lost an eye and was hospitalized for three days.
True, we’re Arabs, but we’re also citizens and we just came to play soccer. By the same token, some of our fans also need to improve their behavior. I’m not saying they are all saints.
Not all teams allow their fans to behave this way. For instance, when the fans of Nazareth Ilit or Bnei Yehuda begin with racist chants, the players and the team heads calm them down.
Our main beef is with Betar Jerusalem, whose fans are out of control.
When Abbas Suan scored that goal against Ireland in the World Cup qualifiers, the country jumped for joy. For us, it was a double celebration, first for the country and second for the Arab community. Suddenly, Sahknin – the team without its own playing field and a ridiculously tiny budget – was on the map.
Bnei Sakhnin, which won the 2004 Israel Cup, is one big family: We don’t discriminate between Arab, Jewish or foreign players. Our Jewish players are guests in our homes.
It’s said that we don’t respect the anthem. That’s a lie. Now, I don’t hide my sadness that, when the words “a Jewish soul still yearns” were written, the Arab minority was not taken into consideration, but we have always respected Hatikvah.
You must remember that as Palestinian-Israeli citizens we are caught between the hammer and the anvil, between our brothers and our country. We suffer more than Tel Aviv and Gaza City in this conflict.
We want peace between two states. When peace comes, it will be possible to talk about compulsory national service in the Arab sector -- I'm all for it. In the meantime, let’s turn a new page in Arab-Jewish relations and put an end to the racism.
