With the Worldly Authenticity of Sports Games

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Sports have not been separate from the concerns that plague people's daily lives; artistic, intellectual, ethnic fields, historical conflicts, and political issues intertwine, which is a familiar matter. However, the utmost desire of the wise and rational in the sports field is to curb the regressive overlap in the civil sports domain.

We have long witnessed the infamous racist incidents over the past years against Brazilian Real Madrid player Vinicius, which were shocking to the world as hundreds of thousands bullied a player who is carving his path towards stardom and creativity. Fortunately, this game, particularly football among sports, has continued to defend its den as much as possible through strict regulation and diligent ethical development.

It is no secret that the phrases of fanaticism are similar, and that expressions of hatred support each other and take each other by the neck. The environment that fuels racial fanaticism guards and nurtures intellectual and ideological fanaticism that is spread in sports stands and even among the players themselves during moments of intensity and anger. However, this regressive state recedes and reappears from time to time, and the lesson lies in the sports maturity represented by the player both on and off the field. Football has long achieved what educational curricula and philosophical concepts could not reach with its worldly concepts. Let us read the global admiration for this game that can break down the barriers between people of all ethnicities, beliefs, geographies, and politics.

This is what football legends take pride in during their meetings, memoirs, and journeys through various eras, which have been documented in books, captured by screens, and narrated by rare documentaries. Among the latest releases is the important documentation of Brazilian player Ronaldinho's career, and how he seized glory through the power of this game, which interested viewers can explore in this visual biography on the Netflix application.

Last week was not a happy one for football fans when a group of supporters attacked the Portuguese player Ruben Neves, mocking him for his pain over the loss of his close friend Gota, who left our world in a tragic and sad story.

The chants of some fans against Neves, intending to gloat over him and his late friend, represented a moral shock that does not reflect the original values we hold as Muslims. It provoked the simple people before the elites and hurt the lovers of the game before the specialists.

At that time, the Saudi Federation and the sports club administrations condemned that disgraceful act. The most important stance is for senior current and former players to criticize this situation, rejecting, denouncing, and advising that such an event should not be repeated, as it contradicts the cultural and artistic foundations upon which global football is built. In fact, this behavior opposes and undermines what we want from professionals coming from the East and West to embrace our values and foundations that we were raised on, both religiously and worldly.

The Saudi player Sami Al-Jaber dedicated an important message to Ruben Neves on the platform 'X,' in which he stated: 'Ruben, your presence in Saudi football means a lot to us... We cherish our values based on respect and hospitality, which are deeply rooted in our creed and are reflected in the way we welcome those who make our country their home. These values transcend any sports competition, and such behavior does not reflect those values. I hope you realize the appreciation and affection you have here, and how we feel that you are an integral part of us.'

Al-Jaber's message is essential, and I would like to comment on it with two points: First, the foundation upon which the sports vision in our country is built is to move people towards the values of coexistence that we have inherited from our ancestors, and to teach the children of professional athletes here that what has been fabricated about us in the media for decades is merely a fabrication intended to confuse and create stereotypes about a society with a history of mingling with people through trade, and the care of Hajj and Umrah, and land and sea trips for all purposes.

The second point is that the widespread condemnation of such disgraceful behavior by a small, reckless minority of the public does not represent the broader community, which has no place for intolerance in any way; the solution, as expressed by Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo, is to prevent these individuals from attending.

In summary, football is supposed to reflect civil values, thereby dispelling any attempts to twist it towards paths of hatred and intolerance. Indeed, such events may accelerate the curbing of any strife intended to uproot the game from its civil vitality, pushing it towards sinful rivalry, harmful conflict, and deadly exchanges.

Quoted from "Asharq Al-Awsat"