12 October 2023 , 22:01
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Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has expressed her “extreme disappointment” over the Football Association’s tribute to victims of the Middle East conflict.
The FA have decided not to light up the Wembley arch in Israel colours before England’s friendly with Australia on Friday night. Players will wear black armbands and observe a period of silence as a mark of respect for the hundreds of innocent victims killed in Israel and in Gaza.
But Frazer said: “I am extremely disappointed by the FA’s decision not to light up the Wembley Stadium arch following last weekend’s horrific terrorist attacks in Israel, and have made my views clear to the FA.
“It is especially disappointing in light of the FA’s bold stance on other terrorist attacks in the recent past. Words and actions matter. The Government is clear: we stand with Israel.”
The Premier League and EFL are set to follow the FA’s lead when domestic football returns with flags, scarves and banners also banned from Wembley for any other team apart from England and Australia. The FA have been criticised for being slow to react after Israel was attacked by the terror group Hamas last weekend while Israel have since retaliated by attacking Gaza.
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England boss Gareth Southgate said: “Firstly, incredibly harrowing pictures and thoughts and feeling are to everybody has suffered, who have lost relatives and friends in these attacks. It’s incredibly disturbing to see.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has slammed the FA (PA)“Broader scale, in my lifetime it’s one o fhte most complex situations in the world and everyone is trying to deal with that. I don’t know what it’s like to walk int he shoes of people on either side. Every decision was going to be criticised They’ve decided to take the stance they have.”
The Premier League issued a statement of their own on Thursday to condemn the attacks and outline how respects would be paid next weekend. It read: "The Premier League is shocked and saddened by the escalating crisis in Israel and Gaza, and strongly condemns the horrific and brutal acts of violence against innocent civilians. We hope for peace, and our heartfelt sympathies are with the victims, their families and the communities impacted.
"As a mark of respect for all those affected, Premier League players, managers and match officials will wear black armbands and observe a moment’s silence at the fixtures taking place from Saturday 21 to Monday 23 October. The League will also make a donation to the British Red Cross to support the aid efforts helping those in urgent need."