UEFA pays tribute to slain ‘Palestinian Pele’
Monitoring Desk
DUBAI: Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) unfurled a banner with the message “Stop Killing Children. Stop Killing Civilians” on the pitch on Wednesday ahead of the UEFA Super Cup showdown between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur in Udine, Italy.
The message came as a tribute following the death of Palestinian footballer Suleiman Al-Obeid, known as the “Palestinian Pele,” who was killed by Israeli gunfire while awaiting aid in Gaza earlier this month.
Nine child refugees from Palestine, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Iraq carried the banner onto the pitch before the game. The international football community failed to publicly condemn Al-Obeid’s killing at first, but UEFA later posted a tribute without mentioning or explaining the circumstances surrounding his death.
In a brief post on X, UEFA said the former national team member was “a talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times.” Egyptian and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah criticized the tribute, saying: “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?”
Earlier on Saturday, Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has called out Uefa over a tribute to Palestinian footballer Suleiman al-Obeid it posted on social media which failed to refer to the circumstances surrounding his death. In a post on X on Friday, Uefa said: “Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the ‘Palestinian Pele’. “A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times.” On Saturday, Egypt international Salah, 33, responded with, external: “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?”
