Minute's Silence as Tribute for German Legend Franz Beckenbauer is WHISTLED by Fans in Saudi Arabia
- 3 months ago
A minute's silence for German football legend Franz Beckenbauer was booed by fans in Saudi Arabia ahead of the Spanish Supercup semi-final.
The derby between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid was played at the Al-Awwal Stadium in Riyadh on Wednesday night, with Real winning 5-3.
Before kick-off, the two teams lined up around the center circle to honor Beckenbauer, who died earlier this week at the age of 78.
But the supposed silence was met with jeers and whistles from the crowd, with a music soundtrack also played through the PA system.
The players were left bemused at the apparent lack of respect, as were fans watching from afar who made their displeasure known on social media.
Many made the point this wouldn't have happened had the match been staged in Spain.
However, the whistles had nothing to do with Beckenbauer but were a cultural custom in Saudi Arabia.
Spanish outlet Cadena SER quoted a local journalist, who said: 'It has nothing to do with Beckenbauer but with a more cultural issue.
'It is a custom or tradition in Saudi Arabia. It is frowned upon to have a minute of silence here.'
The journalists said it was far from the first time such a thing had happened at the stadium, which is the home ground of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr.
That didn't stop a flood of negative online comments, with one tweet reading: 'Disrespectful. La Liga sold their dignity for money. Why not play in Spain?'
Another said: 'Disrespectful but this is what you get for trying to squeeze every little bit of money you can. Just bring the Super Cup back to Spain and stop this nonsense. The Saudi experiment has failed miserably.'
The Supercup expanded to a four-team format when it moved to Saudi Arabia in the 2019-20 season...
It was staged in Jeddah that year before returning to Spain in 2020-21 during the Covid-19 pandemic. The competition has been staged in Riyadh for the past three seasons.
This year's semi-finals see Copa del Rey winners Real Madrid take on third-placed La Liga side from last season Atletico.
The La Liga champions Barcelona take on Copa del Rey runners-up Osasuna on Thursday.
Carlo Ancelotti's side won a ding-dong contest 5-3 after extra time, having twice fallen behind. Joselu and Brahim Diaz scored late in the additional 30-minute period to settle it in front of 25,000 spectators.
Tributes from across the world of football flooded in after Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup with West Germany as both player and manager, died on Sunday.
Beckenbauer's health has gradually declined ever since his son Stephan died in 2015. Since then the iconic former player and manager has battled Parkinson's disease, and dementia, as well as undergoing heart operations.
He leaves behind his wife Heidi and his four other children.
The derby between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid was played at the Al-Awwal Stadium in Riyadh on Wednesday night, with Real winning 5-3.
Before kick-off, the two teams lined up around the center circle to honor Beckenbauer, who died earlier this week at the age of 78.
But the supposed silence was met with jeers and whistles from the crowd, with a music soundtrack also played through the PA system.
The players were left bemused at the apparent lack of respect, as were fans watching from afar who made their displeasure known on social media.
Many made the point this wouldn't have happened had the match been staged in Spain.
However, the whistles had nothing to do with Beckenbauer but were a cultural custom in Saudi Arabia.
Spanish outlet Cadena SER quoted a local journalist, who said: 'It has nothing to do with Beckenbauer but with a more cultural issue.
'It is a custom or tradition in Saudi Arabia. It is frowned upon to have a minute of silence here.'
The journalists said it was far from the first time such a thing had happened at the stadium, which is the home ground of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr.
That didn't stop a flood of negative online comments, with one tweet reading: 'Disrespectful. La Liga sold their dignity for money. Why not play in Spain?'
Another said: 'Disrespectful but this is what you get for trying to squeeze every little bit of money you can. Just bring the Super Cup back to Spain and stop this nonsense. The Saudi experiment has failed miserably.'
The Supercup expanded to a four-team format when it moved to Saudi Arabia in the 2019-20 season...
It was staged in Jeddah that year before returning to Spain in 2020-21 during the Covid-19 pandemic. The competition has been staged in Riyadh for the past three seasons.
This year's semi-finals see Copa del Rey winners Real Madrid take on third-placed La Liga side from last season Atletico.
The La Liga champions Barcelona take on Copa del Rey runners-up Osasuna on Thursday.
Carlo Ancelotti's side won a ding-dong contest 5-3 after extra time, having twice fallen behind. Joselu and Brahim Diaz scored late in the additional 30-minute period to settle it in front of 25,000 spectators.
Tributes from across the world of football flooded in after Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup with West Germany as both player and manager, died on Sunday.
Beckenbauer's health has gradually declined ever since his son Stephan died in 2015. Since then the iconic former player and manager has battled Parkinson's disease, and dementia, as well as undergoing heart operations.
He leaves behind his wife Heidi and his four other children.