Malmo decision to ban fans from Israel-Sweden Davis Cup match irks locals

STOCKHOLM - The Israeli Davis Cup team is in Sweden to play tennis in the Baltic Hall in Malmo Friday through Sunday. Unfortunately the actual game has been trapped under the shadow of politics. The Swedish public will miss the chance to see the exciting game live as it will be played without spectators in the stands.

As in most parts of the world, the conflict in Gaza was widely discussed in Sweden. Some politicians who leaned toward the pro-Palestinian side even urged for a boycott of Israel. At the same time, the security situation in the Baltic Hall was questioned. Last week the political majority in Malmo decided that the game would be played in front of an empty stadium.

But soon people started to doubt there were only security concerns behind the decision. Malmo Mayor Ilmar Reepelu said he would have preferred if the game were not played at all. Carlos Gonzales Ramos, deputy chairman of the city committee that made the decision, said he sees the empty stands as a protest against what he believes was an Israeli genocide in Gaza.

The decision has resulted in a lot of criticism.

Most sports commentators are very critical of the tendency to mix sports and politics, especially since there were local politicians who have no foreign policy chops in charge of making the decision.

The actual idea of a boycott of Israel has not been discussed much since it is not a topic on the international agenda. The issue seems to divide left from right since the center-right parties in Malmo want to let people see the game while the Social Democrats, the Left party and the Greens who form a coalition government in the city are behind the decision.

Most of the public seem to question the decision to play without fan attendance. It is actually difficult to find newspapers, major blogs, politicians (outside of Malmo), etc. who defend it.

Svenska Dagbladet (SvD), one of the largest newspapers in Sweden, wrote in a February 24 editorial that the Malmo politicians are "fishing for votes in dark waters." Many inhabitants in the city have their origin in the Middle East as refugees from the Palestinian territories or other Arab countries. Not all of them support Hamas and similar organizations, but some do. SvD also question why Israel, and not countries like China, Russia and Belarus, should be boycotted.

At the end of last week, the capital Stockholm offered to host the game, an offer the Tennis Federation happily endorsed. During last weekend they worked hard to make it possible but the cities of Stockholm and Malmo could not agree on the terms of a move on such short notice.

Even though it is easy to forget, after all political disputes, the main thing is the sport. Discussion about the actual match will probably increase as it approaches.

The Swedish tennis wonders of yesteryear have vanished this past decade and we currently only have one player, Robin Soderling, among the world's top hundred players. Unfortunately, he is injured and will miss the game, as will another good player, Joachim Johansson.

In Sweden, the home team is still thought to have a decent chance at winning, at least if the third injured player Thomas Johansson can play.

The Israeli team is rather unknown here. Most people have never heard about Dudi Sela and his impressive performance ¬ at least up to the semifinal ¬ in Memphis. But the injuries are considered a major problem and now the host has voluntarily skipped the advantage of a supporting home crowd.

(By arrangement with Stockholm News)