Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer defended his players Paul Pogba and Amad Diallo on Wednesday, who showed their support for the Palestinians after a match against Fulham on matchday 37 of the Premier League.
Following the final whistle and Tuesday’s draw against Fulham at Old Trafford, Frenchman Paul Pogba and his Ivorian teammate Amad Diallo walked around the pitch holding a Palestinian flag and applauding the 10,000-seat stands.
“We have players from different social backgrounds, from different cultures, from different countries and we must respect their opinions if they differ from the rest,” said Solskjaer.
“If my players think about other things beyond football, it is positive (…) We have already seen it with some of my players,” he added, citing the example of forward Marcus Rashford, who has become a spokesman for the fight against child poverty.
On Saturday, after Leicester’s English Cup win against Chelsea at Wembley (1-0), Foxes’ French defender Wesley Fofana and fellow English midfielder Hamza Choudhury also displayed the Palestinian flag.
These demonstrations of support come to coincide with a new cycle of violence between Israel and armed Palestinian movements in Gaza.
Since May 10, Israeli bombings have killed at least 219 Palestinians, 63 of them minors, according to official Palestinian figures.
In Israel, more than 3,700 rockets fired from Gaza, the vast majority intercepted by the Israeli defense system, have caused 12 deaths. AFP (HN).