Fan adorns home with team’s colours, logo

Manama: A Saudi man’s deep passion for his favourite football team Al Hilal Football Club has led him to paint his house with the squad’s colours.

A driver spotted the high walls of the house painted in blue and white and adorned with Al Hilal logo, and said he was amazed by the unusual sight and that he took a video and posted it on social media.

“As soon as I drove into a neighbourhood, I spotted an amazing house,” the driver who did not identify himself or name the city where the video was taken, said. “The owner is obviously passionately in love with Al Hilal and he is its most dedicated supporter. Even his car is adorned with the squad’s colours.”

Reactions online differed widely from outright condemnation as a trivial behaviour that should not be allowed by the municipal authorities to open support for a great passion that does not harm anyone.

Al Hilal (The Crescent in Arabic) is based in the Saudi capital Riyadh and plays in the Saudi Professional League. One of the most popular teams in Saudi Arabia, it holds 57 official titles.

Founded in 1957, it has obtained a record of 43 domestic titles as well as several trophies in various Asian, Gulf, Arab and international championships.

Passion for football runs deep in Saudi Arabia where stadiums are often filled with spectators in white robes wildly cheering their teams.

However, the overheated rivalry between heavyweight clubs and the new possibilities offered by the media to all people to make remarks and statements have fuelled tension between team officials and fans.

Alarmed by the ominous trend, Saudi journalists called for action in the sports sector, particularly football, charging it was loaded with fanaticism that seriously threatened its future.

Ban on prince

In April last year, King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz banned a senior member of the royal family from appearing on public and private television channels after he uttered remarks deemed racist.

Prince Mamdouh Bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud, an honorary member of the Riyadh-based Al Nasr Sports Club, was also prevented from making statements to print or audio media and from taking part in any sports activity.

The ban was imposed by King Salman after Prince Mamdouh in a live talk show on Saudi Sports Television questioned the merit of Adnan Jestiyeh, a sports writer, to comment on Saudi sports, referring to him as “tarsh”.

The term is a pejorative reference to foreign “pilgrim remnants”, usually young children left in the kingdom by their parents after they performed pilgrimage.

The ethnic slur is at times used against them even though they have been living for generations in Saudi Arabia and have been given their full rights as Saudi citizens.

Prince Mamdouh said over the phone that non-Saudis who did not know the history of sports in the kingdom could not comment on games.

“Can we here in Saudi Arabia bring someone from the ‘tarsh’ to talk about Saudi sports?” the prince asked.

Shocked by the slur, Adnan told the talk host who was himself baffled by the prince’s derogatory remarks that he would not continue the conversation.

Several sports writers and figures condemned the racist remarks and the Saudi sports media committee issued a statement supporting Adnan and criticising the derogatory terms used by the former Al Nasr president.

“Such a racist attitude is not compatible with the teachings of Islam and does not reflect the values of the Saudi society,” the committee said. “It also clashes with the moderation message promoted by sports media and it fuels fanaticism.”

Bloggers heaped praise on King Salman for his prompt and decisive move, stressing it was the best way to ensure people’s rights were protected.

The king, who became ruler in January 2015, had built a reputation since he was governor of Riyadh of being a leader who took strong decisions regardless of the names involved.

In March last year, King Salman insisted that all Saudis were equal.

“There are no differences among Saudi people or areas,” he said in an address to princes, religious scholars, judges, ministers, officials and army staff. “We are determined to address the roots of the divergences and the causes of divisions so that we can eliminate the categorisation of the society in a way that harms national unity. All Saudis are equal in rights and duties,” he said.