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Letters

I refer to “Chinese state broadcaster drops Arsenal game after Mesut Ozil attacks treatment of Uygurs” (December 15). In distancing itself from Ozil’s defence of Uygurs, the football club Arsenal may have been too modest in saying that it has a “principle of not involving itself in politics”. 
Many British football clubs object to racist jeers or taunts by fans against players who belong to visible minorities. At one point, any such objections to racist behaviour might have been seen as just a moral stand rather than also political but, given current anti-discrimination legislation, they are also political.
Any sports team that refused to play in South Africa during the apartheid era, or refused to play in a segregated stadium, was taking both a moral and a political stand.
It might have been more accurate for Arsenal to say that it does not involve itself in politics off the playing field.
Bruce Couchman, Ottawa


Ozil’s critique of China strengthens US case
I am writing in response to the article, “Arsenal star Mesut Ozil faces backlash in China after attacking human rights abuses in Xinjiang” (December 14).
It is absurd to see China using the same set of “negotiation skills” to try and cover up its inhumane treatment of ethnic minorities, which includes calling concentration camps “vocational training centres”. It should surprise no one that China will continue to use this strategy.
The pattern here is that governments or large companies quickly compromise with China and soon forget its misdeeds. So, it is a big surprise that a celebrity rejected this seemingly irrefutable order and chose to strike back. This is one of the few times that popular culture has paid some attention to China’s inhumane treatment of Uygurs.
Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil deceived by ‘fake news’ on Xinjiang, China says
This is a good change, particularly for the United States, giving it another opportunity to take action against China for its poor human rights record. China may have to reach a compromise, as it has done before. It seems like China may finally get a taste of its own medicine.
Juno Wong, Po Lam


Celebrities speaking up for the weak deserve praise 
This is not the first time that the Chinese have crowded out support for words that are critical of the country. When Houston Rockets manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of the Hong Kong protests, many Chinese expressed their disappointment with the NBA and vowed not to watch their games. However, when the games were eventually held, the stadiums seemed full.
A member of K-pop band Super Junior liked a Twitter post on the Hong Kong protests. Internet users on the mainland then called for him to quit the band or for the band to withdraw from the China market.
I am very disappointed by the behaviour of the Chinese fans. I can only apologise to the big stars who speak up for the weak.
Sherry Chan, Kwai Chung


Warm winter no match: China’s sportswear sector posts surprise growth

China versus the West? Wang Yi tells UN no country is ‘human rights teacher’

China has ‘massively expanded’ its nuclear arsenal, claims US State Department

Why China and Europe should care about Central Asia’s water crisis

Xinjiang

What Arsenal got wrong about Mesut Ozil’s defence of Uygur Muslims in China

A supporter of China’s Muslim Uygur minority holds up a poster of Arsenal’s German midfielder Mesut Ozil with a message reading “Thanks for being our voice”, during a demonstration in Istanbul, Turkey, on December 14. Ozil, who is of Turkish origin, expressed support for Uygurs in Xinjiang and criticised Muslim countries for their failure to speak up for them. Photo: AFP

Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil reaction could spark NBA-style crisis in China for English Premier League

Arsenal's Mesut Ozil in action against Norwich City in the English Premier League. Photo: Reuters

Keep anti-China politics out of football, for the sake of sports fans across Asia

Fifa president Gianni Infantino speaks at a press conference in Shanghai on October 24. Fifa awarded to China the hosting rights for the inaugural edition of its expanded Club World Cup, in a unanimous decision described as “historic” by Infantino. Photo: AFP

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Letters | What Arsenal got wrong about Mesut Ozil’s defence of Uygur Muslims in China

Letters | What Arsenal got wrong about Mesut Ozil’s defence of Uygur Muslims in China