FA to limit lighting of Wembley arch

Wembley's arch has been lit on various occasions, including in 2021 to mark the National Day of Reflection for those who died during the Covid pandemic

Wembley's arch will only be lit for football and entertainment under a new policy approved by the board of the Football Association.

Israel retaliated with air strikes on Gaza, and stopped food, water, fuel and medicine going into the territory.

A period of silence was held at Wembley for "innocent victims" of the conflict.

That preceded England's friendly against Australia on 13 October.

There had been calls for the arch to be lit in the colours of the Israeli flag after the attacks by Hamas - a Palestinian militant group.

The decision not to do so was described as "disappointing" by the UK government, and Rabbi Alex Goldberg resigned from an FA faith in football group.

FA senior officials were known to be wary of a perception they might be taking sides on the issue, and insisted they acted on "expert advice".

But they later accepted the episode had caused hurt to the Jewish community, describing it as "one of the hardest decisions" they had ever had to make.

Now, as first reported by the Telegraph, the FA will restrict the lighting of the arch to far fewer occasions, in recognition of the fact it is a football and entertainment venue, rather than a political one.

The FA will still support a number of causes and campaigns, but will not illuminate the arch for them. It will be lit when Wembley is hosting matches or concerts for instance, but not when there are natural disasters or tragedies, as in the past.

Previously, the FA has lit up the arch to commemorate events including Remembrance Day and International Women's Day or to pay tribute to victims of the war in Ukraine or of terror attacks such as in Paris in 2015.

But it is understood they felt they had little choice but to change their approach.

Last month, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said the controversy "made us question whether we should light the arch and when, and we'll be reviewing that."

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