Beirut.
Football has always provided a measure of escapism to fans in the region, but this time, the disaster which took place on Tuesday, August 4th, has put things into proportion.
More than 24 hours have passed since the horrific incident, and it is hard to digest the numbers from this moment of havoc. Three hundred thousand people without a roof above their heads. Another sad reminder of what the Middle East can turn to. An area not famous for its fascinating football but rather for the conflicts, the politics and the tensions between different groups. Amin Younes, Akram Mougrabi, Roda Antar and other football figures from Lebanon and all over the world have expressed their pain and sorrow regarding the explosion.
The Middle East is now praying for Beirut, which became a symbol for the Lebanese crisis. On top of their ‘usual’ financial crisis, political crisis, social crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, they now also have this disaster to face and rise from.
May we see the Cedars back in the Camille Chamoun as soon as possible.
SAUDI PRO LEAGUE IS BACK
On the same Tuesday, after a very long wait, the Saudi Pro League has finally resumed action. With eight matchdays to go, the Saudis restarted the 2019/20 season to determine which city will become ruler of the Saudi football scene.
Over the past two seasons, Jedda clubs Al-Ahli and Ittihad have been losing stock in Saudi football. While Al-Ahli is still in the top spots that lead to AFC Champions League participation, Ittihad is a sinking ship. The Tigers have re-opened the league with a 1-2 loss to Al-Abha. With only one point from the relegation zone, Itti is now ranked in the lowest spot they ever were in the Saudi league. The yellow & black team has seven games remaining to fight for their lives.
But with all due respect to the Red Sea-side clubs, only a Riyadh club will win the local title: Al-Hilal or Al-Nassr. To the joy of the long-time waiting fans, the Riyadh Derby was played on Wednesday evening, and what a show it was.
What is usually a flashy, colourful and ecstatic scene, is now much more silent due to the COVID-19 game conditions. Instead of fans, a D.J produces audience sounds, and to this soundtrack, Al-Hilal hammered Al-Nassr 1-4. A beautiful goal by Sebastian Giovinco, another one by Carlos Eduardo and a brace by Bafetimbi Gomis, the AFC champions league winners simply swept the Saudi league winners off the field. Al-Nassr equalized temporarily via Sultan Al-Ghanam who nailed in a nice attack.
Riyadh is blue, as Al-Hilal opens a nine-point gap in the top of the Saudi Pro League table.
ISRAEL PROTESTS, ULTRAS GET INVOLVED
In the past month, Israel has witnessed a significant wave of protests. With unemployment reaching almost one million people, coronavirus running riots and a second lockdown in plain view, thousands of people are protesting throughout the country every day against prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Football fan organizations are also involved, but they are not supporting the protest. La Familia and Maccabi Fanatics, the ultra groups of Beitar Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv respectively, have decided to attack protestors, who they categorize as ‘extreme left-wing’.
On July 23rd, La Familia members attempted to attack protestors while singing songs of praise to the assassin who killed Israel’s Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, in 1995. Five days later, in Tel Aviv, anti-governmental protests turned into a massive brawl with injuries, as members of the Maccabi Fanatics attacked protestors with glass bottles and batons. A Few of them have been arrested.
These developments provoked a broad and furious discussion regarding the responsibility of clubs and the football community for the existence of such groups of fans.
Nevertheless, for those who are familiar with Israeli football and the current political climate in the country, these incidents by these groups of fans were not surprising at all.
Photo courtesy of Saudi Pro League official Twitter account.
