Egyptian sports commentator Ali Mohamed Ali, who broadcasts on global network BeIN Sports, which is headquartered in Qatar, sparked controversy after deciding to boycott and refuse to mention the name of Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz of Southampton.
The incident took place during an FA Cup semifinal match, in which Peretz and Southampton were hoping to recreate a historic achievement and pull off another upset in an attempt to win their first major trophy in more than 50 years.
Peretz and Southampton came close to doing so after taking the lead in the 81st minute, but within minutes, Manchester City scored twice to win, eliminating Peretz and Southampton from England’s second most prestigious football competition, the FA Cup.
Peretz delivered an impressive performance despite the loss, but the international sports network chose to boycott him by refusing to mention him or his name, reportedly because he is Israeli.
Ali opened the broadcast by saying, “I’m not going to mention the name of Southampton’s goalkeeper, and we all know why."
He then proceeded to avoid mentioning Peretz by name throughout the match, using references instead.
Alex Gandler, spokesperson of the Israeli Embassy to the United Kingdom, denounced the incident in a post on social media.
“BeIN Sports commentator Ali Mohammed Ali, while commentating on a soccer match, said: ‘I will not mention the name of Southampton’s goalkeeper, and we all know why.’ The reason is that his name is Daniel Peretz, the goalkeeper of the Israeli national team," wrote Gandler.
“Why is FA allowing this bigot to broadcast FA cup or Premier League games?" he added.