Malaysians Play Down Booing of Chelsea's Israeli Midfielder
Malaysian sporting figures on Friday sought to play down the booing of Chelsea's Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun during a friendly in the Muslim-majority country.
Chelsea beat hosts Malaysia 1-0 Thursday in the capital Kuala Lumpur but the game was marred by racial abuse toward Benayoun as the crowd booed and jeered whenever the midfielder had the ball.
Benayoun was the first Israeli to play in Malaysia, which strongly supports the Palestinians and does not recognize Israel, maintaining no diplomatic ties with the country. Some 60 percent of Malaysia's population is Muslim.
Former Malaysian football official Peter Velappan said the sneering was unsporting but hard to avoid.
"It is of course unsporting," Velappan, former general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation, told Agence France Presse.
"This is quite rampant in many of the European countries... (But) especially in (multiracial) Malaysia we are supposed to set an example," he said.
Mei Tang, secretary of the 750-member Malaysian branch of the Chelsea Supporters Club, praised Chelsea for bringing their whole squad, including Benayoun.
In 2008, Chelsea's Israeli coach Avram Grant and defender Tal Ben Haim were expected to go to Malaysia after the government gave its approval despite protests from Muslim groups. But both left the team before the trip.
Source: Agence France Presse
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