The Israeli-Palestinian conflict takes over the football fields.
On Saturday evening, following the FA Cup final won by Leicester against Chelsea (1-0), French defender Wesley Fofana and his British teammate Hamza Chodury showed their support for Palestine.
During the celebrations on the Wembley lawn, the two winning players waved a Palestinian flag as clashes between Hamas and Israeli forces have raged in the Gaza Strip for several days.
⚽️ Winners of the FA Cup tonight, two Leicester City footballers, Wesley Fofana and Hamza Choudhury, show their solidarity with Palestine.
#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/3eofVSc8bw
- Mickaël Correia (@MickaCorreia) May 15, 2021
During the day on Saturday, tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of several major European cities such as London, Berlin, Madrid and Paris to also show their support for the Palestinian population, particularly affected by the bombings.
Arsenal defend the position of one of its players
Also in England, Egyptian Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny has been the target of criticism from Jewish supporters after posting a tweet of support for the Palestinian people last Monday: "My heart, soul and support for you. , Palestine.
“Asked by the English channel Sky Sports News, the London club indicated to have spoken with his player following concerns expressed by one of the sponsors of Arsenal, the manufacturer of coffee Lavazza, after this publication.
my heart and my soul and my support for you Palestine 🇵🇸 ✌️ pic.twitter.com/ywrpPk5Xmf
- Mohamed ELNeny (@ElNennY) May 10, 2021
The English club defended his player while specifying that a discussion had taken place with the principal concerned around the implications of such a message: "As for any employee of Arsenal, our players have the right to express their opinion on their platforms […] As a club, we are committed to combating and eliminating all forms of discrimination and defend the need for equality and diversity in all areas of life. "