Israeli flag stirs up controversy in Arab beach soccer tournament in Egypt

Israel indirectly stirred up controversy during the opening ceremony of a beach soccer tournament in Egypt after the Israeli flag was featured in a documentary film presenting the tournament.

By MAAYAN GROISMAN
Soccer [Illustrative] (photo credit: INIMAGE)
Soccer [Illustrative]
(photo credit: INIMAGE)
Inter-Arab conflicts continue to involve Israel, particularly amid the growing trend of Arab countries seeking to keep Israel out of sports competitions.
Last week, Israel indirectly stirred up controversy during the opening ceremony of a beach soccer tournament in Egypt after the Israeli flag was featured in a documentary film presenting the upcoming tournament.
Eight Arab national teams have been participating in the tournament taking place in the city of Sharm El Sheikh since Friday.
Several Arab delegations strongly denounced the appearance of Israel's flag in the short documentary, stating that "the flag is not relevant to the tournament or to the activities related to it."
In protest of the incident, the Omani delegation left the event's press conference, alleging that "there is no reason to mention the name of the Zionist state during in Arab competition."
The Omani representatives were followed by the delegations of Bahrain, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Iraq, that threatened to leave the tournament.
In response to the protests by several Arab delegations, the Egyptian committee that organized the tournament said that the controversial video was sent from the International Beach Soccer Association (BSWW) and that it was screened without Egypt's viewing beforehand.