Former Saudi footballer defaces Israeli flag in FIFA Arab Cup

By Zain Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – Former Saudi football player Nawaf Al-Temyat defaced the Israeli flag on his T-shirt during a football match ahead of the final match in the FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar, according to Israeli media on Sunday.

Al-Temyat, who was playing with the FIFA Arab Legends team against the FIFA World Legends, scribbled out the Israeli flag from his T-shirt, which carried flags of all the 211 FIFA members, the Times of Israel newspaper reported.

Social media activists circulated Al-Temyat's photo with the T-shirt seen with Israeli flag defaced during the match.

So far, there was no comment from the Saudi player nor from the FIFA on the move.

In the same event, three of Algeria's former football players, who were supposed to join the match, withdrew from the game in protest of the Israeli coach for the opposing team, Avram Grant.

The three Algerian players are Rabah Madjer, Rafik Saifi and Rafik Halliche.

Neither Saudi Arabia nor Algeria has ties with Israel.

While Riyadh conditions the recognition of Israel with the withdrawal from lands it occupied in 1967, Algiers is perceived as the strongest Arab country supporting the Palestinian cause.

On Saturday, Algeria beat Tunisia 2-0 to win its first FIFA Arab Cup.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara