They could have held the Supercoppa anywhere. It’s been held
in the United States, China, Libya, and Qatar. But they chose Saudi Arabia. Not
for the fans, not for the game, not for sport, but for money. They did not
consider the potential backlash when the world learned what kind of a place the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was. They just wanted a paycheck. And instead, they
scored a massive own goal.
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| Spinning a terrible decision still doesn't justify that decision |
President of the Lega Serie A and thus also vice president
of the FIGC, Gaetano Micciché attempted to defend the decision this week, and that also
went very badly. The decision was made months before the well-publicized October
murder and dismemberment of Jamal Kashoggi, he said. The world has been
screaming human rights violations at the crown prince of Saudi Arabia since
then, meanwhile there are reports of evidence that the prince himself ordered
the killing. It’s a nightmare, and while Italy had plenty of time to choose a
new venue since early October, and many groups have begged for them to do so,
they stuck with their decision.
It’s not like the murder should have surprised anyone. Saudi
Arabia is governed by Sharia Law, written between 700-1000 B.C. by religious
prophets. The FIGC should know about this, because they have done nothing to
reform since that time, either. The punishments within Sharia Law include
public beheading, hanging, stoning, amputation, and lashing. These apply not
only to traditional offenses that are considered criminal elsewhere, but also
to made up offenses such as apostasy, witchcraft, and sorcery. So one
little well-publicized murder may not have been enough for the FIGC to break
their contract, but the day to day human rights offenses of the religious-based legal system should have seen them never make the contract in the first place.
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| Women treated like third tier citizens |
The focus this week has been the rights of women in Saudi
Arabia. As tickets went on sale, it became widely known that women were only
allowed to sit in the sections for “families,” most of which are located in the
third tier. There is a dispute as to whether or not a woman can attend
unaccompanied, as Sharia Law dictates that a woman may not go anywhere without
a male relative with her. But Micciché argued that women will be able to attend
unaccompanied, and that this match will be the first international football
match in Saudi Arabia where women will be able to attend. So he is championing
the gender segregation, because it is, in his mind, better than not being able
to attend at all. That’s an idea that was also likely formed between the
seventh and tenth centuries.
A woman on Twitter from the area informed me that women
being required to be accompanied by men and to sit in family sections was a good
thing, because that way, the women can avoid the harassment that they would
receive in the other sections. Really? I had to ask myself if Twitter was also
around in the seventh and tenth centuries. The fact that men would harass them
at all is a massive part of the problem. In Saudi Arabia, women need four to six male witnesses
to prove that they were raped, or to file a lawsuit. And often,
women who are raped are not allowed any justice, instead they are stoned to death for committing adultery. A man’s
worth is at least twice a woman’s, and polygamy is practiced, but only for the
males. The average Saudi male can take up to four wives, whereas the crown
prince has thirty wives. And a man can divorce a woman without even telling
her.
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| Women having equal access to football works in the rest of the world |
There are so many human rights violations in Saudi Arabia every day
involving women. There are only three stadiums in the whole country where women can attend at all, including the one in Jeddah, so segregation at the football stadium is tragically one of the least impactful violations of basic
human rights. Women were afforded the permission to begin driving this year,
however since they cannot go anywhere without a man’s permission, or even take
a bus at all, it’s not like they know what the word “freedom” means, let alone
gender equality.
All of this was known when the league and the FIGC chose
Jeddah as the location. But they chose it anyway, presumably for money. What
they didn’t realize, with their spectacular own goal, was that it will cost
them more in the end. RAI is threatening to not show the game, and other
broadcasters may also boycott it based on the more recent human rights issues.
That means the fans won’t get to see it. So it’s not just the women who can’t
watch, it’s all of the fans domestically in Italy as well as
internationally. And if the fans can’t
watch the game, why would they continue to support Serie A? In addition to the possible loss of broadcasting money and the potential the loss of fans to come see
Serie A matches, buy jerseys, etc., all of the negative press could impact
current and future sponsors. In the end, they could actually lose so much more than they will be paid for this match. But hey, stick with a bad decision.
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| Sure, let the first football women see be an accused rapist who is still free at the expense of a powerless woman |
Also, Micciché, if this is the first match Saudi women are
going to see, really? You’ve seen what Milan are playing like. That’s like a
form of punishment from Sharia Law right there. They’ve also got to listen to
Allegri’s whiny, weasely voice screaming “Dai Dai Dai” and watch an alleged
rapist run around free as any Saudi male who has raped one or more women. If
you are going to act like this is some kind of historical moment for Saudi
women, the least you could do would be to set up a match that was worth
watching.
As a religious person myself, I can respect the religious
and cultural beliefs of other religions and people. Unless human rights are
violated, then I don’t care why, there is a problem. There is no place in this
world for anyone to be treated differently based on gender, race, ethnicity,
etc. There is no place in this world for people to be so publicly and
inhumanely punished. The rest of the world has moved forward at least slightly
past the tenth century. And I’ll be damned if you tell a woman how and where
she can watch football, if at all. But more heinous than adhering to religious
laws from the tenth century are the FIGC and the Lega Serie A adhering to poor
business models from around the same time and supporting those caveman ways. That,
Micciché, is a disgusting own goal.
This post inspired by the music of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"