Wristbands in sport!

Perhaps that is why all apolitical affairs somehow have a political silver lining, and at times it becomes difficult to distinguish where the logic of argument lies. One such instance was reported last week when Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg urged upon Fifa to deny Russia an opportunity to host the 2018 Football World Cup for its unbecoming policies on Ukraine and the region. But Fifa believed that it is undesirable to link the two.

On the other hand, the International Cricket Council (ICC) banned England’s batsman Moeen Ali from wearing wristbands featuring the slogans, “Save Gaza” and “Free Palestine”! Moeen, a British citizen of Pakistani descent, wore the wristbands on the second day of the third Test against India at Southampton on Monday. What made him persona non grata for the world cricket body, in fact, was his campaign to raise funds for charities working with those affected in the conflict with Israel. The ICC apparently has reasons to believe, unlike Fifa, that those wristbands are contrary to the spirit of the game and are politically incorrect. Moeen, who risks disciplinary action under the ICC code of conduct, was told by match referee David Boon to remove the wristbands and not wear them again while playing for England.

The point is what should be the criterion for analysing sport in political limelight? And that too in an era when the games, the players’ costumes and even the venues where they are staged are commercial to the core and have obvious political connotations! Moeen’s branding of a flashpoint has opened a Pandora’s box of ethics and politics in sport.