BEIRUT: Top-tier footballers, including Mohamed Salah, Karim Benzema and Noussair Mazraoui, have sparked controversy in recent days after voicing their opinions on the situation in Gaza via social media posts.
Players’ comments expressing solidarity with the people of Gaza have attracted millions of conflicting responses and drawn condemnation.
Bayern Munich’s Moroccan Mazraoui, Mainz’s Dutchman Anwar El Ghazi, Nice’s Algerian Yousef Atal and others were suspended or subject to questioning by their clubs after sharing their opinions on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Arab News interviewed a cross-section of fans, who expressed mixed reactions over players’ use of social media to share their viewpoints.
Brazilian-Portuguese coach Jorvan Vieira believes that “football never works with politics, but unfortunately nowadays, there is politics in football and all sports in general.”
Although the public might condemn their comments, players have the right to express themselves as “humans,” Vieira said, adding that reacting to events in Gaza is based on “humanitarian grounds.”
He said: “Some people might misinterpret players’ opinions, saying this is political, but this is humanitarian.
People who judge players or condemn them must see themselves in the mirror before condemning someone for their actions or words.”
Vieira said that players and coaches have the right to express themselves freely, even though they risk being condemned or not getting hired later due to their statements.
According to Lebanese fan Abed Mohamed, football players are public figures and “high morals” should be the major guideline for their behavior and public statements.
“They should stand for justice and should not take a side because of the clubs they
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Manchester United
Neymar
Footballers
Newcastle United
Karim Benzema
Mohamed Salah
Jim Ratcliffe