FA chief Martin Glenn's Star of David comments 'offensive', says Jewish Leadership Council
Monday 5 March 2018 13:08, UK
The Jewish Leadership Council has accused FA chief executive Martin Glenn of being “offensive” about the Star of David.
Glenn referred to the Jewish religious symbol in the same sentence as mentioning the swastika and Robert Mugabe when speaking about how Pep Guardiola should not wear a "political symbol", following his charge for displaying a yellow ribbon.
Jewish Leadership Council CEO Simon Johnson described Glenn's examples of symbols as "offensive" and "inappropriate", and said the council would express their disappointment to the FA.
"I have no problem with The FA clarifying Rule 4 and specifying that ALL religious symbols are prohibited on a kit if that is the case," said Johnson.
"But, in explaining that decision, the CEO of the FA's examples are ill-judged and in poor taste.
"The Star of David is a Jewish religious symbol of immense importance to Jews worldwide. To put it in the same bracket as the swastika and Robert Mugabe is offensive and inappropriate.
"We will raise formally with the FA the Jewish community's deep disappointment with this statement."
Guardiola's yellow ribbon, worn in protest against the imprisonment of pro-independence politicians in the Manchester City manager's native Catalonia, was deemed to break the FA's kit and advertising rules.
Glenn said among his comments on political symbols, following a meeting of football lawmakers in Zurich on Sunday: "We have re-written Law 4 of the game so that things like a poppy are okay, but things that are going to be highly divisive, and that could be strong religious symbols, it could be the Star of David, it could be the hammer and sickle, it could be a swastika, anything like Robert Mugabe on your shirt, these are the things we don't want."
