ARTICLES

FANS IN TEL AVIV BARS CHEER ON IRAN

Iran Gets World Cup Support From Unlikely Fans (in Israel)
By Joshua Mitnick
Wall Street Journal
June 25

TEL AVIV—Down by a goal and on the verge of elimination from World Cup, Iran’s footballers struggled to compose an attack. Thousands of miles away in unlikely corner of the Middle East, a chant of encouragement went up: Ee-ran! Ee-ran! Eran!

The soccer fans weren’t in Tehran but in Tel Aviv, where a group of some two dozen young Israelis at a downtown bar put aside the political divide between the countries to wave Iranian flags and nibble on ‘nogal’ wedding sweets while they cheered on the Iranian side in its must-win match against Bosnia.

“The situation is really terrible. If we advance it will be from the heavens” admitted Eytan Calif, a 31-year copywriter draped in an Iranian flag. “I have my team, Italy, but Iran is part of me, even with everything that is going on right now. It’s hard to be an Iranian fan, especially these days.”

Mr. Calif was referring to the Israeli government’s drumbeat of criticism in recent years against Iran’s nuclear program and the regime’s ties to Islamist militant groups like Hezbollah that have fired rockets on Israeli towns and sought to target Israeli tourists abroad.

But that hasn’t snuffed out the affinity of some 90,000 Iranian Jews who immigrated to Israel and descendants like Mr. Calif to the country and the Iranian people.

“If the players would win, they would stir love, hope and peace, instead of focusing disagreements,” explained David Motai, a partner in a Persian language internet radio station in Israel, Radio Ran, which featured tribute videos to the Iranian soccer team in recent weeks . “The happiness of World Cup would be good for them, and they wouldn’t be dealing with other things like politics.”

Motai, who spoke by phone before the game, said that most Iranian soccer fans in Israel watch games at home rather than coming together in public places. The bar meet up Wednesday for the Bosnia-Herzegovina game was conceived as a media event by peace activists who have sought to foster ties between the two countries with the Israel-Loves-Iran Facebook page.

“The idea is to show solidarity from the Israeli side,” said Ronny Edry, who set up the Facebook page two years ago, and continues to promote communication between the sides over social media. “It’s pretty easy through sports.”

In fact, several days earlier a group of partying Iranian soccer fans in Brazil for the World Cup pre-empted Mr. Edry’s move. When approached by a Israeli television reporter, one fan bellowed “Israel good! Israel good!” and then kissed the reporter while another fan insisted, “Israel and Iran are brothers.”

Some Israelis support the team because they believe the players disagree with the policies of the Iranian government. “The team has a special representative of the government to ensure they don’t defect. I know, I’m involved,” said David Dariush, a 43-year-old Tehran native who said he has special satellite that lets him see the team games.

Chatting in Persian with Mr. Dariush was a boyhood friend from Tehran, Meir Javedanfar, now of Tel Aviv, offered some match analysis: “I think there’s a better chance for a nuclear agreement than of Iran advancing in this tournament,” he said.

Finally, an Iranian goal with eight minutes remaining in regular time triggered celebration in Tel Aviv, but it was quickly ended by a Bosnian retaliatory strike, sealing Iran’s exit from tournament play.

“We would have love for Iran to win the match, said Dan Kashani, who traces back nine generations of family from Iran and organized the meet up with Mr. Edri, “but the main point is to show people in Iran that there are people in the middle of Tel Aviv cheering for them.’’

FASTING FOOTBALLERS

Ramadan poses challenge for Muslim players at World Cup
France 24 with AFP
June 26, 2014

m.france24.com/en/20140627-world-cup-2014-football-ramadan-muslim-players/

The World Cup is set to become a whole lot more complicated this weekend for many of the Muslim players still in competition, with Ramadan – a month-long period of fasting – beginning Saturday night.

Dozens of Muslim players on teams such as France, Germany and Algeria will be faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to observe the holy month as the tournament enters the knockout stage.

Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, is meant to be a time of increased spiritual reflection and prayer. Muslims are obligated to give up all food and liquids from dawn until dusk, rising early to eat before the start of the day, and then breaking the fast after sunset. This often means changing the body’s schedule.

Yet for Muslim players competing at the World Cup, the physical demands imposed by the holiday could put them at a disadvantage. Not only do they need food for fuel, but the humidity and heat in Brazil make it all the more important to stay hydrated.

Some players may opt to forgo fasting under a tenet that exempts travelers – as well as those who are sick or pregnant – from observing Ramadan. Mesut Özil, who plays midfield for Germany, has already decided that he will not be observing.

“I am working and I am going to continue doing so. So I’m not going to do Ramadan,” he explained. “It’s impossible for me to do it this year.”

DIVERGING VIEWS

Not everyone, however, shares Özil’s point of view. The majority of Algeria’s players have already planned to fast, despite the dangers it could pose to their health.

The issue can be a tricky one for coaches to navigate, according Claude Leroy, who once managed both Senegal and Ghana at the international level.

“It seems very complicated to strictly respect Ramadan during the World Cup,” said Leroy, who currently coaches Oman’s national team, which did not qualify for this year’s tournament. “What do you do during matches that take place at 1 p.m. or 5 p.m., especially for hydration? It’s impossible and even dangerous”.

France coach Didier Deschamps, however, said he has left it up to his players to make up their own mind.

“It’s a very sensitive and delicate subject. There’s nothing for me to dictate," he said. "We respect everyone’s religion. Today is not the first time we’re discovering this situation. I am not in the least bit worried and everyone will adapt to the situation”.

PRECAUTIONS

As Deschamps pointed out, it is far from the first time in recent years that Ramadan has fallen during a major international competition, and, as a precaution, many Muslim athletes have sought medical advice to make sure they are in the best shape possible.

Hakim Chalabi, a former doctor for French club Paris Saint-Germain, has worked with many fasting football players in the past, and has become FIFA’s expert on the matter.

“It’s a time when the risk of injury increases, particularly at the lumbar, joint and muscle level,” he said. These injuries are mostly due to dehydration, rather than lack of food.

“The level of nutrition needs to change. The quality of food must also be modified in order to adapt to the exercise. Players must better hydrated. What’s more, we advise them to take longer naps during the afternoon to recover some of what they’ve lost in sleep,” Chalabi added.

Madjid Bougherra, a veteran player and captain of Algeria’s national team, has followed these guidelines to a T for the past many years. Despite that, he said everything depends on his physical well-being.

“The hardest is staying hydrated. But it’s okay, the weather is good. Some players postpone [Ramadan]. Personally, I’m going to see what my physical state is, but I think I can do it,” Bougherra said.