Israel striker criticises Man Utd pair’s support for Palestine
PSV Eindhoven striker and Israel international Eran Zahavi has edited an image of Manchester United duo Paul Pogba and Amad Diallo carrying the Palestinian flag.
The two United stars held the flag as the players and coaching staff did a post-match lap around the pitch at Old Trafford, as is tradition in the final home game of a season.
However, veteran striker Zahavi took to Instagram to edit the post and replace the Palestinian flag with that of Israel.
There are renewed tensions and violence between Israel and Palestine, with the carrying of the flag designed to raise awareness and solidarity with the people of the state.
After the match, Pogba posted an image of him holding the Palestine flag on Instagram alongside the caption: “Let’s keep our world safe and free from violence. Pray for Palestine.”
However, Zahavi posted the image on his Instagram stories with the Israeli flag covering the Palestine one alongside the caption: “Thanks guys. We appreciate your support all over the world.”
The Netherlands-based striker did similar over the weekend after Leicester City duo Wesley Fofana and Hamza Choudhury carried the Palestine flag around the Wembley pitch following the FA Cup final triumph over Chelsea.
Zahavi shared the image with the Israeli flag imposed over the Palestine and was captioned: “Thanks for your support.”
The striker has netted 17 goals in 32 appearances for the Eredivisie side this campaign and has netted over 300 times in his senior club career, alongside 25 goals in 62 caps for the Israeli national team.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told reporters after the match regarding Pogba and Amad carrying the flag: “We have players from different backgrounds, different cultures, different countries.
“I think we need to respect their views if they differ from someone else’s. If my players think about other things than football, that’s a positive thing.
“I think we’ve seen that with some of the players before, that they do care about… say Marcus Rashford, for example, the differences he’s made. We respect their right to have a different view.”
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