FA unlikely to light Wembley arch with colours of Israel flag ahead of England vs Australia

According to latest football updates, the Football Association is unlikely to light the Wembley arch in the colours of the Israel flag because of fears of a backlash from some communities.

The Wembley arch is usually illuminated in the colours of the national flags of countries suffering major tragedies. However, displaying the colours of the Israel flag could be viewed as taking sides in the war. At the very least, there could be a minute’s silence before the friendly in tribute to those who have died.

According to BBC Sport, rather than lighting an arch a message of peace and unity will be conveyed before the game.

Furthermore, the FA has also been in touch with Football Australia to convey that there will be some kind of acknowledgement for the victims before kick-off.

The FA lit up the arch last year in blue and yellow colours of the Ukraine flag after the country was invaded by Russia. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’ attacks has reached 1,200. While more than 1,100 people have been killed by Israeli air strikes on Gaza.

Wembley arch unlikely to lit up ahead of England vs Australia

Moreover, the FA, Premier League and individual clubs have not yet commented on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Nevertheless, an FA meeting did took place and a decision is expected to be made on Thursday.

England manager Gareth South is likely to be asked about the issue when he addresses the media on Thursday. UEFA or FIFA have yet to issue statements about the violence and nor has the Premier League, with no matches until after the international break.

Arsenal full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko published a post saying ‘I stand with Israel.’ Whereas midfielder Mohamed Elneny has changed his profile pictures on social media to a Palestine flag.

Neither player has been told to remove the posts or profile pictures but they have been made aware of what the reaction and impact could be from those who view them.