I’d like to pose a question. What would your reaction be if I announced that I was planning to form a new Football League and that both women and men players of all nationalities and races were welcome, except Jews who were to be specifically excluded?
Before you hit me with a stream of invective, accuse me of blatant anti-Semitism and various crimes not yet known to man, please read the article below from tonight’s Evening Standard and explain why the general reaction to the goings on in the Maccabi League is not one of outrage, but one of “tolerance”.
BEGINS
“A football team has been suspended from a London Jewish league for enlisting non-Jewish players.
Holy Mount Zion, based in North Acton, was caught out when the referee realised one of their players was a Colombian banker called Javier Guevara.
Mr Guevara and Polish personal trainer Mariusz Mielniczuk were registered under the names Danny Potter and Simon Laub.
Officials at the Maccabi Southern Football League investigated and discovered the men's Facebook profiles under their real names.
"Potter" played several games and was so convincing that he made it into a fantasy "team of the week" in the Jewish press.
Holy Mount Zion's manager, Rob Lerner, said he used the ringers because there were not enough Jewish players. He said: "I didn't have much choice. I had to, it is the only way I could get a team out."
Mr Lerner added the men were "not 100 per cent comfortable" playing under false names. Rival clubs have called for the team to be expelled from the league while a further six players have been asked to prove their "Jewish origins".
They include university researcher Luigi Minale, 28, from Milan, Jaime Augusto and Millan Quijano from Colombia, Guri Singer and Andres Tamayo.
David Woolf, the league's chairman, said: "The club admitted that they had been telling lies. The league is concerned that the club is not to be trusted. They're doing the Jewish community a disservice."
Simon Beresford of rivals Faithfold C said: "I think it's absolutely disgusting what they have done. They have shown a complete lack of respect towards the Maccabi League."”
ENDS
There is not one single reference here to the question of whether the League should be able to operate in this way. It’s all about the “disgusting…..lack of respect [shown] towards the …..League”. The “feelings” of the Columbian banker don’t merit a mention! A very similar piece appeared in today’s Times.
Before someone says, “Ah, but positive discrimination is all right, a league for Jews is fine, it’s excluding them that is the problem”, let’s try another question.
Suppose I now decide to form a League open only to those of demonstrable Caucasian ethnicity and who can prove that all four grandparents were born in the United Kingdom. Oh, and a gender test might be required if a player is not “obviously male”. How long would it be before I concluded that a name change and emigration was my only survival strategy?
I know I’m going to cause offence now, but the blatant double standard here is completely absurd in my view. I hold that view not because I’m a racist, but precisely because I’m not. I wouldn’t dream of playing for a football team that specified race as a requirement [or of joining a gentleman’s club for that matter – even if one would have me].
And now for the really provocative bit. If David Cameron is serious when he says that the “doctrine of state multiculturalism has failed” and that “we need [instead] a lot less of the passive tolerance of recent years and much more active, muscular liberalism”, then why not start here? It’s a free hit. Ban this League and demonstrate that he really does want to build a truly integrated and inclusive society rather than one where the “tolerance and respect” is all one way?
By the way, in a tolerant, muscular and liberal society I’d get robust argument, but no abuse!!
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Comments
Personally I don't have a problem if people of a particular race, religion, profession, sexuality etc want to organise their own teams or leagues and only play with others of their own group. If white Christian males had no other chance to play football then I'd have a problem, but that's hardly the case is it?
A few years back I was in a park where there seemed to be an unusually large number of Asian guys playing football - got chatting to a couple of them and turned out it was the finals of the English Asian footy cup (or something) going on and there were teams from all over the country taking part. They had rules that did allow a couple of non-Asian players per team - and that seems a better system than the Jewish League, but if the banker or his team didn't like it there are plenty of other leagues they could join. Seems to me like him and his team knowingly broke the rules so should get whatever sanction is in the league's rules.
As I say, don't see it as a problem and I really don't see why anyone would. I'm sure if you went to places where there are loads of ex-pats you'd Brits only ex-pat teams and leagues.
No problem with having a predominantly Jewish league, if that's what people want, but to exclude players and take sanctions against a club for fielding a non-Jewish player surely breaks laws in this country?
Paul Hawksbee was telling the story how a mate of his played in the maccabi league but would always have to go home covered in mud as he couldn't shower for the fear of giving the game away if you know what I mean.
He had a mate on there as well who played in a south american league in clapham and ended up as the captain but had to learn spanish cos the refs spoke no english!
There are hundreds of other Leagues to participate in - I'm not sure what the problem is. Since when is a private members club (which is precisely what a football league is) unable to discriminate on whatever basis it likes? (ever tried joining an exclusive golf club?)
he's gutted they've been suspended and fully expects to be expelled from the league - particularly so as they've just won 10 games on the bounce. he doesn't get however that they've probably won 10 games of the bounce as they've been playing a couple of ringers ....
I guarantee there are loads of non-Jewish players in the League (how would they check? no jokes please) but they are properly registered.
This. They were playing ringers, thats why the other clubs were up in arms.
i would imagine several leagues like this were formed years ago when it was probably necessary for ethnic minoritys to be able to play football without getting abuse. Guru Nanak used to be all asain players but now i think they have 2.
Does it really matter if they are playing a couple of ringers? Every team has done if over the years. Its quite riddiculous that they are all up in arms about it. As I posted the other day on SIMB, can you imagine the reaction if there was a league, take the Kent Surbuban for example, that excluded those of Jewish origin from playing? They'd be bloody uproar. I really dont know how they get away with it.
It'd be a big deal the secod there was a 'whites only' league.
Someone just had to mention that, didnt they?
HMZ could have joined any other league and the Colombian banker could have played for any number of teams, but they broke the rules of the league they did join - they cheated - so if they're kicked out then that's reasonable.
As NYA said, the fact that the players are not Jewish is actually irrelevant to the story
And what about those in league with the devil? Would I get a game with them.....would I hell?!!!
They're akin to a private members club who can include or exclude whoever they like. They're not an employer or providing a public service.
A bigger scandal surely are church schools which are funded by general taxation (paid by all) yet are able to discriminate in non-academic ways in the way they select children.
Instead on focusing on the negative 'exclusion' of 99.5% of the UK's population who aren't Jewish (and have hundreds of other football leagues to choose from), why not focus on the positive 'inclusion' of the 0.5% who are looking for an enjoyable Sunday game of football without having to worry about racial abuse?
Sorry but if we are a multicutural country then every race, creed or religion should all be able to play in all leagues. There shouldn't be anything that all cannot enter. As somebody said above if there was a "white Christian only" league it would be described as racist.
I agree that in this particular case the team has broken the rules. The problem is the rule that only Jewish people can play shouldn't be there in the first place.
What is described as "poitive discrimination" is still discrimination.
The issue is a very simple one. If I have Jewish friends who play football in this League and I wish to play with them, I am prevented from doing so unless I can prove that I have Jewish origins. Really? Is that acceptable in the United Kingdom in the 21st Century?
Are those really the values we want to promote? What is it, exactly, that makes me so objectionable that the other players in this League don’t want to play either with or against me? Is it because I’m a mix of Norman and Saxon perhaps, or a Muslim, a Hindu, Korean or Japanese? Are you kidding?
The racial abuse bit doesn’t work by the way. If I’m guilty of racial abuse then kick me out. That’s a very good reason for excluding me and one this society has increasingly supported over the years. That's the point surely and that commitment needs to be reciprocated.
The real problem here, of course, is what these values say about the society we live in and then how other minority groups respond. We are going to be in big trouble if we don’t understand that we need the country’s many cultures to integrate not to opt out and build barriers. As I said earlier, that, I think, is David Cameron’s point. I hope he means it.
The rules of this League need to change or it should be shut down. Let's call that muscular liberalism.
I don't really see the difference.
Sorry but if we are a multicutural country then every race, creed or religion should all be able to play in all leagues. There shouldn't be anything that all cannot enter. As somebody said above if there was a "white Christian only" league it would be described as racist.
I agree that in this particular case the team has broken the rules. The problem is the rule that only Jewish people can play shouldn't be there in the first place.
What is described as "poitive discrimination" is still discrimination.[/quote]
Thanks to the wonders of google, I can confirm that there is such a thing as a Christian football league - specifically the South Manchester and Cheshire Christian football league. christianfootball.org.uk in case you were wondering.
As far as I can tell, the Jewish community are not up in arms about the existence of this league or describing it as racist, so lets just show the same tolerant attitude towards their league eh?
Assuming that the officials of the Maccabi League carry out inspections of heritage and synagogue attendance etc (which they don't, as shown by all the stories about non-Jews playing in the league), you and the team could just leave the Maccabi League and join any one of the other leagues available.
Or you could do like everyone else in the league and tell porkies about being a Jew.
Under mission: To develop friendships with non-Christians with the aim to share the Good News at the appropriate time
Under aims: To act as a stepping stone for Christian Teams aiming to join a secular league
If a school/business start a sports team, along with investing in the required facilities, then surely they should be allowed to decide who can benefit from those facilities and join the teams. The fact is anyone from any race or religion can join these schools and business.
Discrimination based on race/religion/sex is wrong, in every situation,
Yes, the GlaxoSmithKline football team is a bit like that ... only open to members of the Sports & Social Club who, in turn, have to be employees of GlaxoSmithKline.
Unfair and discriminatory on anyone who happens not to work for GSK (some employees of which are Jewish, lesbian and/or black. Throw in left-handed too, if you wish.).
And isn't that the point?
All teams, clubs, societies, boards etc should not have to embrace every persuasion. As long as we can all find a place somewhere, isn't that good enough?
I think you'd get into the team if you wanted, Mundell