Chelsea have made an official complaint concerning the abuse that Yossi Benayoun received during the match against Malaysian XI.
Malaysia is known to support Palestine, and does not recognise Israel. When Benayoun played in the game he became the first ever Israeli to play on Malaysian soil.
During the game he received jeers every time he touched the ball, after re-watching coverage of the game the Blues felt the behaviour was anti-Semitic and have thus made an official complaint to the Malaysian FA.
The official statement from the club stated:
“Notwithstanding most fans behaving appropriately on the night, we believe Yossi was subjected to anti-Semitic abuse by a number of supporters at the game.“Such behaviour is offensive, totally unacceptable and has no place in football.Before adding: “The club did not make representations at the time as it was initially unclear as to the nature of the abuse Yossi received, as several players from both teams experienced similar treatment, sometimes louder and longer.But went on to acknowledge: “Our stay in Malaysia was, on the whole, a very positive experience for all the team travelling on the pre-season tour. It is a shame, therefore, that the behaviour of a minority of supporters is also a memory we take away.”
By Scott Balaam
Twitter @theshed11
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