Unsportsmanlike

The recent outbreak of violence during and after last Friday’s football match between Faisali and Wihdat teams brings back memories of similar disturbances accompanying football matches between national teams.

Such occurrence needs to be stopped at all costs. Matches — of football or any other sport — are competitions that test the athletic prowess of the participants. They are occasions to cheer, indeed, for one’s favourite team, but only in as far as their physical skills are concerned.

Politics should never interfere with sports, be it on or off the pitch.

If spectators really feel the need to get involved politically, parties or other legitimate organisations should accommodate that penchant.

It appears that some football team supporters are bent on sowing division. That is pathetic, unsportsmanlike and definitely unmanly.

After the latest violence, authorities are determined, as always, to apply the heaviest penalties on all those responsible for it, but that is not really enough.

Education and investigating the reasons for such incidents should be seriously considered.

Jordan is an all-inclusive country, a melting pot of ethnicities and religious denominations. It has always been so, and attempting to sow division on the basis of one’s “origin” is unacceptable.

It is important to promote equality among Jordanians, irrespective of where they come from or what faith they belong to.

There could be several reasons for behaviour such as that exhibited at the said football match, but the concerned authorities must endeavour to probe its root causes.

Applying sanctions on a few individuals is not enough. Something more profound needs to be done, investigated and the issue rectified.

As is, such disturbances may falsely give the impression that we are a divided people.

We are not!

Sports competitions should be an opportunity to bring people together in a healthy, fair play spirit.

If that does not happen, for whatever reason, the Penal Code has to be amended to treat stadium violence as a crime that deserves the harshest punishment.