‘Anti-Semitic’ farce in battle to replace Blatter as FIFA boss
A racism row has erupted in the race for FIFA’s next president after a senior figure at Bahrain’s football association mistakenly claimed an Israeli heads one of the candidate’s campaigns, writes Justin Cohen.
Several tweets from the account of Mohammed Mdwb, the Bahrain national team’s media officer, sought to draw attention to the claims this morning.
The first showed a screen grab of an article from a Jewish newspaper about the appointment of UK-based PR guru Shimon Cohen to represent Prince Ali of Jordan.
Another showed an image of Welsh-born Cohen alongside Prince Ali – wrongly describing the former as Israeli.
One of Prince Ali’s rivals to succeed Sepp Blatter is Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, former president of the Bahrain FA and current President of the Asian Football Confederation. He is viewed as favourite for the top job in a five-man race.
The PR’s Office’s Cohen – the one who is actually involved in Prince Ali’s campaign – told the Jewish News: “It is racism and anti-Semitism and has no place in football. I am also very upset at being mistaken for a 73 year old retired footballer.”
Keep community journalism free.
Jewish News is free for everyone. No paywall. No barriers. Just trusted journalism for anyone who wants to stay connected to Jewish life in Britain.
If you value that, please support us.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Every day, we report on the issues that matter to our community. We celebrate achievements, support charities, challenge antisemitism and ensure Jewish voices are heard more widely.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help us continue to:
- Report on the stories shaping Jewish life in the UK and beyond
- Bring our community together through shared stories, events and campaigns
- Celebrate the people, culture and moments that define our community
- Support organisations doing vital work across Jewish Britain
You can make a one-off donation or become a regular supporter. Every contribution helps keep our journalism free, independent and accessible to all.
If everyone who values Jewish News gave a small amount, it would make a real difference to our future.
