By the end of last week, England’s Football Association doubtless felt that it had done the best it could, that after hours and hours of talks, it had settled on what might best be described as the least worst option.
Last Friday night, England’s men’s team was playing an exhibition match against Australia.
Most expected that the game would take note of the violence crackling across Israel and Gaza, commemorate the victims and acknowledge the suffering.
They had weighed the risk that a minute’s silence, soccer’s traditional manifestation of grief, might be interrupted, but they determined that having it was the appropriate thing to do.
The most difficult decision, though, was to do with the Wembley Arch, the soaring steel beam that rises above the stadium.
Persons:
England’s
Organizations:
England’s Football Association, Australia, Wembley
Locations:
Israel, Gaza