2006年VOA标准英语-Arabs Angry at Ghana Over World Cup Flag Incide

By Vivian Salama
Cairo
21 June 2006
 
Arab soccer fans are expressing outrage¹ after a player on Ghana's national team triumphantly² waved an Israeli flag to celebrate a goal scored by his team at the World Cup. Player John Paintsil normally plays for an Israeli club. In a formal apology issued by the Ghana Football Association, officials say the Ghanaian defender³ will not be reprimanded. 

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It was during the 84th minute of Saturday's World Cup match between Ghana and the Czech Republic when Arab fans' cheers fell silent. After Ghana scored its second goal against its opponent, the team's defender John Paintsil celebrated⁴ in a way no one expected - he pulled an Israeli flag from his sock and waved it for cameras.

The move immediately struck a chord with Arab spectators. After calling the goal, legendary⁵ Egyptian sports announcer and former footballer Mimi El-Sherbini paused momentarily then said, on the air, "What are you doing, man?"

Egyptian soccer fans like Ibrahim El-Houdaiby were outraged⁶.

"It would not bother me the same if it were a French flag that was raised simply because French does not occupy an Arab country, it does not kill civilians⁷ everyday; it does not kill or damage houses everyday, so this is a different situation," explained El-Houdaiby.

Many Egyptian soccer fans were backing Ghana's team prior to this incident, as it is the only team from Africa expected to advance in the World Cup.

Ghana is scheduled to play the United States on Thursday, but fans like El-Houdaiby believe they would still rather support Ghana over the United States, given the existing political sentiments against the United States.

Egypt is one of only two countries in the Arab world which has made peace with Israel since the nation was established a half century ago. Nonetheless, the ongoing⁸ conflict between Israel and the Palestinians means most Arabs regard Israel as an enemy.

Regardless of the politics, some analysts⁹, like Egyptian sports columnist¹⁰ Hassan El-Mestekawi, argue that the move by Paintsil violated the basic principles of international sportsmanship.

 "We were angered because soccer promotes ideologies¹¹ of peace and understanding between human beings and it has no correlation¹² with politics," El-Mestekawi said.

Paintsil normally plays for Israel's Hapoel club. Israeli newspapers argue that the gesture served as a demonstration¹³ of the alliance between Israel and the less than 100 Ghanaian nationals who call the Jewish state home.

The Ghana Football Association has apologized for Paintsil's actions, blaming what it called the "naivety¹⁴" of the player. Association spokesman Randy Abbey added that what the player did "does not represent the political views of the team, the Ghana Football Association or indeed the Ghana government".

Beyond the sensitivities that exist between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the official policy of FIFA - the International Football Association - prohibits discriminatory acts - be it against race, religion or politics. Paintsil has not been reprimanded and he defends his actions by saying he just wanted to thank Israeli soccer fans for their support.

1 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

2 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

3 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

4 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

5 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

6 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

11 ideologies   

n.思想（体系）( ideology的名词复数 )；思想意识；意识形态；观念形态

参考例句：

• There is no fundamental diversity between the two ideologies. 这两种思想意识之间并没有根本的分歧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Radical ideologies require to contrast to their own goodness the wickedness of some other system. 凡是过激的意识形态，都需要有另外一个丑恶的制度作对比，才能衬托出自己的善良。 来自辞典例句

12 correlation   

n.相互关系，相关，关连

参考例句：

• The second group of measurements had a high correlation with the first.第二组测量数据与第一组高度相关。
• A high correlation exists in America between education and economic position.教育和经济地位在美国有极密切的关系。

13 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

14 naivety   

n.天真，纯朴，幼稚

参考例句：

• Mozart's music is characterized by its naivety and clarity.莫扎特的音乐特色是纯朴兴清澈。
• She has lost none of her naivety.她丝毫没有失去那份天真烂漫。