True Left

Our enemies' perspective:

What is the point of the English soccer team? If it is a collection of players from around the world who happen to wear an English jersey, what makes it English?

It is funded by English taxes?

It’s just a brand. Rooting for it is as silly as cheering for Coca-Cola or Pepsi. The Italian team has a real connection to its people, so its victory was a victory for Italy. That’s what a national team should be.

People like sports because it allows for pure expressions of loyalty and opposition, victory and defeat, and feelings of “us” and “them.” It’s a socially acceptable way to express primal drives. Diversity poisons sports, just as it poisons everything else. English fans can’t identify with their team. A true English patriot should be relieved that “his” team lost, and his country was spared weeks of lectures about why England needs blacks.

No further comment required.

Eileen Gu Ai-ling, who won 2 gold and 1 silver for China at the 2022 Winter Olympics first time round, is more than just a high-flying skier of the day.....

In seventh grade, Gu gave a public speech about gender inequality in sports. Furthermore, she began to advocate for gender equality in high school by leading discussions about the gender wage gap and the misrepresentation of female athletes in media.

Given the recent rise of anti-Asian sentiments in the US, Gu has been actively using her social media platform to raise awareness of the issue and share resources for the community. She considers her identity as a minority in freestyle skiing powerful because it gives her the ability to “educate others on experiences that they might not have known.”

It's OK to be a "white" tennis player:

Serena Williams says she'd 'probably be in jail' had she had acted like Alexander Zverev toward an umpire
...
Serena Williams says that "there is absolutely a double standard" in the world of tennis.

In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Friday, the 23-time Grand Slam champion reflected on the response to Alexander Zverev's recent outburst at the Mexican Open. The top-ranked German star lashed out at an umpire, smashing the official's chair with his racket before getting booted from the tournament.

"I would probably be in jail if I did that," Williams said. "Like, literally, no joke."

Williams has undoubtedly faced harsher punishment for far less serious offenses throughout her illustrious professional tennis career. Most famously, she was issued three penalties — including a point penalty — and a $17,000 fine for speaking out against an umpire and smashing her racket in frustration during the 2018 US Open final against Naomi Osaka.

Though Williams technically broke the rules, tennis fans and experts widely agreed that three violations and a $17,000 fine were excessive. And there's no question that Williams' punishment was not commensurate with those delivered to white male players who have had similar, or worse, outbursts on the court.

More about Sverev:

Sharypova named multiple instances where Zverev allegedly became violent towards her, including punching her in the face during an argument that took place in the pair's hotel room while Zverev was competing at the 2019 Laver Cup.[190]

He also looks like what we would expect, of course:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/remarkably-deluded-fifa-president-gianni-infantino-brutally-mocked-following-bizarre-speech/46LOLDPBQRGA3FPTEREWK4DXJY/

"For what we Europeans have been doing for the last 3000 years we should apologise for the next 3000 years before starting giving moral lessons to people.” Kudos for FIFA chairman Gianni Infantino whose speech at the opening ceremony of the World Cup 2022 dared challenge the human rights accusations of the "West" on Qatar.
The entire speech is not found in "western" media, and it's only in the NZ Herald that I found quotes from the speech. But according to a Chinese news media, Infantino is supposed to have also mentioned how little aid the "western" countries have offered to help desperate immigrants, and now that Qatar is offering jobs to so many of them, the West" is juggling with the stats to smear Qatar for mistreating these immigrant workers.

Not surprised, this is one of their textbook tactics in demonizing countries they don't like!

Also:

Arabs shun Israeli media at Qatar World Cup, cooling hopes of a thaw
...
DOHA (Reuters) -Arab soccer fans at the first World Cup in the Middle East are shunning Israeli journalists in Qatar trying to interview them, illustrating challenges facing wider "warm peace" ambitions two years after some Gulf states forged formal ties with Israel.

Israeli officials have voiced hope that the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords reached with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in 2020, and later Sudan and Morocco, would spur further normalisation, including with Arab heavyweight Saudi Arabia.

Interview attempts with Arab fans, however, fell flat with reporters from public broadcaster Kan and top-rated Channel 12 TV telling Reuters they had been mostly snubbed. Footage circulating online showed two Saudi fans, a Qatari shopper and three Lebanese fans walking away from Israeli reporters.

A Channel 13 reporter said Palestinian fans held an impromptu protest next to him, waving their and flags and chanting "go home".

Qatar does not officially recognise Israel

Much needed visibility:

Iran Government Supporters Confront Protesters at World Cup
...
Tensions ran high at Iran’s second match at the World Cup on Friday as fans supporting the Iranian government harassed those protesting against it and stadium security seized flags, T-shirts and other items expressing support for the protest movement that has gripped the Islamic Republic.

Some fans were stopped by stadium security from bringing in Persian pre-revolutionary flags to match against Wales at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. Others carrying such flags had them ripped from their hands by pro-government Iran fans, who also shouted insults at fans wearing T-shirts with the slogan of the protest movement gripping the country, “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
...
Shouting matches erupted in lines outside the stadium between fans screaming “Women, Life, Freedom” and others shouting back “The Islamic Republic!”

Small mobs of men surrounded three different women giving interviews about the protests to foreign media outside the stadium, disrupting broadcasts as they angrily chanted, “The Islamic Republic of Iran!”

Good idea:

https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/brazil-confederation-may-punish-acts-racism-with-points-deductions-2023-02-15/

Brazil Confederation may punish acts of racism with points deductions

Feb 15 (Reuters) - The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has the right to sanction teams whose employees or fans commit acts of racism with the loss of points, according to the league's statute approved by the 20 first division clubs.

In the CBF's fight against racism and discrimination in the country's stadiums, the ground-breaking measure will come into force for the Copa do Brasil, which kicks off on Feb. 22.

"The fight against racism is in a hurry. Measures have been discussed for centuries and have never been put into practice... We decided to go further with punishments and we can even take away points from a club in one of our competitions," CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues said.

"It is considered extremely serious the discriminatory offense practiced by managers, representatives and professionals of clubs, athletes, coaches, members of the Technical Committee, fans and arbitration teams in competitions coordinated by the CBF."

As the first Black man to lead the CBF in more than 100 years of the organisation's history, Rodrigues considers the fight against discrimination in football to be one of his priorities.

The CBF is the first ruling body in the world to adopt such a measure.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva has sanctioned a law which equates the crime of racial insult to racism and provides for increased penalties for offences committed at sporting and cultural events in the country.

Every sports organization should follow suit!