The Rainbow Armband Row | The Daily Telegraph

Dec 4, 2024 | A row over rainbow armbands is engulfing British football, after Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi got into hot water for writing “I love Jesus” and "Jesus loves you" on his armband during two recent matches.

Kamal Ahmed and Gordon Rayner are joined by Telegraph Chief Sports Writer Oliver Brown to discuss whether such campaigns are essential in making football more inclusive, or just meaningless gesture politics.

Pelé - Brazil's Football Legend Has Died - BBC News

Dec 29, 2022 | Pelé, widely regarded as the greatest football player of all time, has died. He was 82 and had been suffering from cancer. He scored a world record 1,281 goals in 1,363 appearances during a 21-year career, including 77 goals in 92 matches for his country. He’s the only player to win the World Cup three times, lifting the trophy in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

'IT WON'T CHANGE' | Ex-Brazil Star Richarlyson Comes Out as Bisexual but Laments Homophobia in Football and His Homeland

THE SUN: FORMER Brazil international footballer Richarlyson has come out as bisexual.

Former footballer Richarlyson revealed he is bisexual on a podcast in Brazil
But he hit out at the ongoing homophobia in the sport and in his homeland.

The two-cap Selecao star had been reluctant to reveal his sexuality due to the possible fallout it could have.

Richarlyson opened up on dating both men and women in his appearance on the Nos Armarios dos Vestiarios podcast.

The 39-year-old said: "All my life I've been asked if I'm gay.

"I've had a relationship with a man and I've had a relationship with a woman as well.

"But then I speak here today and soon the news will be printed, 'Richarlyson is bisexual'.

"And the meme is ready. They will say, 'Wow, but swear? I had no idea.'

"Man, I'm normal, I have wants and desires. » | Joshua Jones | Friday, June 24, 2022

World Cup 2022: Wales Staff Boycott Qatar over Gay Rights

BBC: Some of the Welsh national football team's staff will not travel to the World Cup in Qatar because of the country's stance on gay rights.

Head of Welsh football Noel Mooney said the team would use the event as a "platform" to discuss human rights in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.

He is also asking Fifa and Uefa to "think very deeply about their conscience" when choosing host nations.

Qatari officials have said it would be a "tournament for everyone". » | James Williams, BBC Wales political correspondent | Sunday, June 12, 2022

Josh Cavallo: Proud My Coming Out Inspired Jake Daniels

Read the article here.

Related links here.

Saudi-owned Newcastle United Face Backlash for Tweet Supporting Gay Footballer Jake Daniels Because Of Appalling State of LGBT-rights in the Gulf State Where Homosexuality Is Punishable by Death

MAIL ONLINE: Newcastle United's Twitter account shared message of support for Jake Daniels / Blackpool FC player Daniels, 17, was hailed for coming out as gay yesterday / However, fans pointed out Newcastle are owned by a Saudi-led consortium

Newcastle United have been accused of hypocrisy for tweeting their support for gay footballer Jake Daniels because of the LGBT rights record of their Saudi owners.

Blackpool FC player Daniels, 17, yesterday became only the second British football player in history to come out while still playing.

He was hailed by figures across the sport, as well as others including Prince William and Boris Johnson.

Reacting, Newcastle United wrote on Twitter: ‘Football is for everyone. Newcastle United and the whole football community is with you, Jake!'

However, the club's social media accounts were quickly inundated with comments from angry fans who pointed out that its owners are a Saudi-led consortium with the Gulf state criticised for its LGBT and human rights records.

The consortium bought Newcastle in October in a move that led to accusations of 'sportwashing'. » | Danyal Hussain for MailOnline | Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Related.

Jake Daniels: Blackpool Player Says Coming Out Will Allow Him to Be 'Free' and 'Confident'

Screenshot from the accompanying video | I am ready to be myself - Daniels
BBC: Blackpool's Jake Daniels said his decision to come out as the UK's only openly gay active male professional footballer would allow him to be "free and confident".

The Championship club forward is the first professional in the UK men's game for more than 30 years to come out while still playing.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the 17-year-old said: "Now is the right time to do it.

"I feel like I am ready to tell people my story."

He added: "Since I've come out to my family, my club and my team-mates, that period of overthinking everything - and the stress it created - has gone. It was impacting my mental health. Now I am just confident and happy to be myself finally. With video » | BBC | Monday, May 16, 2022

Jake Daniels: Why Blackpool forward's decision is a watershed moment for British football »

Blackburn Rovers Become First UK Football Club to Host Eid Prayers on Pitch

THE GUARDIAN: Hundreds of people congregate at Ewood Park to mark end of holy month of Ramadan

Blackburn Rovers have become the first UK football club to host Eid prayers on their pitch.

Hundreds of people congregated at Ewood Park on Monday to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Aerial footage tweeted by the club showed about half the pitch covered with prayer mats and a sheikh delivering a sermon.

A message from the club read: “Eid Mubarak from everyone at Blackburn Rovers. This morning #Rovers became the first football club in the country to host Eid prayers on the pitch.” » | Christy Cooney | Monday, May 2, 2022

Pro Footballer Says He’s Bisexual and Living with Boyfriend in Moving Open Letter

PINK NEWS: An anonymous footballer has written about his bisexuality in the wake of Australian pro player Josh Cavallo proudly coming out as gay.

Cavallo, 21, was praised for his courage and bravery after sharing his truth last month, becoming the only current openly gay male player playing professional top-flight football.

His actions have inspired another footballer to open up about his sexuality, according to Mundo Deportivo, a Spanish national sports newspaper that published a letter from an anonymous pro.

Bisexual footballer: ‘At least for now, I do not want to say who I am’

The athlete, a member of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, has not chosen to come out publicly as the “message itself is more important than the name”.

In the letter, the footballer also reveals that he is living with his boyfriend of more than three years. » | Josh Milton | Monday, November 1, 2021

Euro 2012: Antisemitic Echoes That Threaten Celebration of Football
THE GUARDIAN: Michael Goldfarb discovers an ugly xenophobia rooted in the catastrophic destruction visited on Poland and Ukraine by totalitarian regimes

Euro 2012 was supposed to be an unalloyed celebration of not just football, but also the renaissance of Poland and Ukraine, the two nations that suffered most in the conflict between the twin poles of 20th-century totalitarianism: Nazism and Soviet communism.

But a darkness still pervades both countries. On a recent visit to Poland and Ukraine, I couldn't help but be struck by it. In Warsaw, which I had visited briefly 17 years ago, I was amazed at how much the past drapes itself around the city's prosperous facade [sic].

There are massive, agonised monuments everywhere: to the dead of the Warsaw Uprising, to the fallen and murdered in the east, the martyrs of Katyn. Every step a tourist takes seems to be guiding him on a tour of Polish suffering

In Lviv in western Ukraine, a place I had never visited before, I found the darkness in people's souls. The city survived the worst of the war. Its perfectly preserved medieval heart is wrapped in a ribbon of Austro-Hungarian imperial boulevards and architecture.

But conversation after conversation with people from all walks of life reveal them looking backwards into the bleak times. Perhaps that's to be expected given the catastrophic destruction visited on the two countries, but it has led many to a world-view that is a perversion of the golden rule: do unto others as others have done unto you. » | Michael Goldfarb | Saturday, June 02, 2012

Prayer Rooms to Be Set Up at Aussie Rules Stadiums
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Prayer rooms will be set up at all Aussie Rules stadiums following a request by a devout Muslim player to ensure fans do not have to pray in the car park.

The move prompted claims of "political correctness gone mad" but was largely met with amusement by fans who began issuing prayers for their teams on websites and a newly-created prayer room app for mobile phones.

The sporting code decided last week to introduce the multi-faith rooms as a "demonstration of our inclusiveness" following a request by Bachar Houli, believed to be the first observant Muslim player, who said it would lure more Muslims to the game.

"I speak for the Muslim community, I get complaints [that] there is nowhere to pray other than the car park," said Mr Houli, who plays for the Richmond club. "It can be quite disturbing [to pray] with people walking through to the game."

Some Christian and Jewish leaders also backed the rooms, saying they were already common in airports and hospitals.

However the move caused a backlash led by former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett, now president of the Hawthorn club, who said the rooms were "absolute rubbish". » | Jonathan Pearlman in Sydney | Thursday, April 26, 2012

Le footballeur brésilien Ricardo Kaka, chrétien, montre son intérêt à l’islam

MOOSLYM: Brésil. Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, plus connu sous le surnom de « Kaka », footballeur brésilien, qui avait déjà montré son intérêt à l’islam, a déclaré cette semaine que le Saint Coran n’était pas une œuvre humaine et bien un miracle.

Selon le journal libyen Albachaer, citant Khaled Taqi al-Din, imam d’une mosquée au Brésil « entendant les versets du saint Coran, le joueur du Real Madrid a avoué que ce n’était pas la parole humaine et c’était un miracle ».

« Kaka est toujours chrétien et la conversion à l’islam de footballeur brésilien n’est qu’une rumeur », a-t-il ajouté. » | Écrit par la redaction | vendredi 02 mars 2012

Egyptian Violence Amongst Worst in Football History
Wednesday's violence following a match between al-Masry and al-Ahly in Port Said, is among the worst in football history. Al Jazeera sports journalist, Khalid Abdel Kareem explains tension leading up to Wednesday's match between the long-time rivals.

Somalia: Islamisten verbieten Musik im Radio
Somalische Milizionäre: Keine Musik, keine Filme, kein Fußball. Bild: Spiegel Online
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Somalische Rundfunksender dürfen keine Musik mehr spielen. Ein entsprechendes Verbot verkündeten die radikal-islamischen Milizen. Musik sei Sünde, begründeten sie. Aus Angst vor drakonischen Strafen befolgen fast alle Sender die Anordnung.

Mogadischu - Fast alle Radio-Stationen in Somalia haben ihr Musikprogramm eingestellt. Nur ein von der Übergansregierung in Mogadischu kontrollierter und ein Uno-Sender widersetzten sich am Dienstag noch dem Verbot. Die Islamisten in dem Land sind dafür bekannt, Anweisungen wie das Musikverbot mit brutaler Gewalt durchzusetzen und Zuwiderhandlungen beispielsweise mit Morden oder Amputationen zu bestrafen.

Man habe keine andere Wahl, als ihre Forderung umzusetzen, sagte Abdulahi Yasin Jama von der Rundfunkstation Tusmo am Dienstag. "Wir haben Angst vor möglichen Angriffen gegen den Sender", sagte Hassan Osman Abdi vom Rundfunksender "Radio Shabelle". Die Islamisten hätten mit der Schließung aller Radiosender gedroht, die sich dem Verbot widersetzten. Nur einige regierungstreue Sender spielen noch Musik.

"Wir erleben heute den offiziellen Zusammenbruch der unabhängigen Medien", klagte Mohamed Ibrahim vom nationalen Journalistenverband Somalias. Der Verband verurteile die Anordnung als "grobe Verletzung" der Meinungsfreiheit, sagte Ibrahim.

Die von der internationalen Gemeinschaft unterstützte Interimsregierung hat ihren Herrschaftsanspruch bislang nicht durchsetzen können und kämpft mit islamistischen Milizen um die Macht in Somalia. >>> ler/apn/dpa/AFP | Dienstag, 13. April 2010

Somali Radio Stations Bow to Islamist Ban on Music
Horn Afrik Radio presenters read the news at a studio in Mogadishu. Photograph: The Guardian
THE GUARDIAN: All but two stations in Mogadishu comply with order to cease broadcasts that militants say violate Islamic principles

A majority of radio stations in southern and central Somalia today stopped playing music and jingles, to comply with a ban by Islamist militants.

Hizbul Islam, one of the two main insurgent forces in Somalia, issued the order on 3 April, saying music broadcasts violated Islamic principles. It gave FM radio stations – the main form of news and entertainment in the country – 10 days to comply or be shut down.

Islamic groups have previously outlawed music in some areas under their control, along with beards, football, movies, women's beauty salons and bras. The latest ban on all tunes – including those used in commercials – appears to be the most widely applied yet, and indicative of the rebels' ability to instil fear.

In the capital, Mogadishu, where there are 16 FM radio stations, only the government-controlled Radio Mogadishu, which is protected by African Union peacekeepers, and the UN-funded Radio Bar-Kulan, whose studio is in Nairobi, resisted the order.

"I've listened to three of my regular stations today, and there's no music at all," said Abdulkadir Khalif, a Mogadishu resident. "There's not even a jingle."

Instead, some stations used birdsong or vehicle noises to introduce programmes. One of the broadcasters aired "a recording from a warzone" to signal the start of the news, as an ironic gesture, Khalif said. >>> Xan Rice | Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Fury as German Ex-football Boss Says: 'There's No Place in Football for Gays'
MAIL ONLINE: A former soccer boss today sparked fury by declaring: ‘There is no place in football for gays.’

Rudi Assauer, who formerly headed up Schalke 04 in Germany's Bundesliga, went on to say: ‘Perhaps they are OK in other sports but not in football.

‘If a player came to me and said he was gay I would say to him: “You have shown courage.” But then I would tell him to find something else to do.

‘That's because those who out themselves always end up busted by it, ridiculed by their fellow players and by people in the stands. We should spare them these witch-hunts.’

His outburst is set to enrage world footballing authorities who are making concerted efforts to rid the game of homophobia.

Asked whether he had ever met a gay footballer during his many years as both player and manager, 65-year-old Assauer replied: ‘No, never.

‘When I was in Bremen, I heard that our masseur was gay. So I went up to him and said: 'Look, son, do me a favour - look for another job.’

Assauer's comments come in a week when homosexuality has been in Germany's spotlight for other reasons.

Guido Westerwelle, the country's openly gay foreign minister, was criticised for taking his lover on an official government trip to South America. >>> Allan Hall | Friday, March 12, 2010

Iranian-German Footballer Offends Jewish Community
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: An Iranian-German soccer player who plays for the German national Under-21 side has asked not to play against Israel in a friendly on October 12. The team has accepted his request, angering Germany's Jewish lobby.

An Iranian-born player for Germany's under-21 national soccer team has caused controversy by asking to be excused from playing a match against Israel in Tel Aviv this Friday.

Ashkan Dejagah, 21, said in a statement posted on the German Football Federation's Web site that his reasons for not playing were "of a very personal nature and have to do with my close family."

But the player had previously been quoted in Bild newspaper as saying: "There are political reasons. Everyone knows I'm a German Iranian." Dejagah has dual citizenship. Berlin newspaper B.Z. quoted him as saying: "I have more Iranian than German blood in my veins. Besides, I'm doing this out of respect. After all, my parents are Iranian." Iranian-Born German Soccer Player Refuses to Play Israel (more)

Mark Alexander