It seems the UAE Airlines, which bought the naming rights to a British soccer stadium, is less than pleased that the Arsenals also have a deal with Israel to promote tourism to the Jewish state.
Dubai, 1 March (AKI) – Emirates airlines, which have bought the naming rights to Arsenal’s new stadium, and whose logo appears on the team’s shirts, have slamned a decicision by the top-flight English football club to sign a sponsorship deal to promote tourism to Israel. The two-year 350,000 British pounds (around 610,000 dollars) agreement will involve promoting Israel on LCD billboards around the pitch of Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in London, news reports said. .
The club said it had cleared the deal with officials in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), whose national airline bought the rights to name the new stadium for around three million pounds (around 5.2 million dollars) a year. But a spokesman for the airlines has denied this. He told the Dubai-based daily Khaleej Times that the deal with Israel is “unfortunate, and we are obviously not happy.”
“We will do our best to persuade Arsenal to not renew its deal with Israel,” said the spokesman, who was not identified.
But it gets better.
Israel’s tourism authority will run banner ads on the Arsenal web site when the deal begins at the start of the next football season, six months from now. Israel will become Arsenal’s “official and exclusive travel destination,” as specified in the contract.
No, wait, it’s even funnier.
Edelman said representatives of United Arab Emirate’s-based Emirates Airways, one of the club’s main sponsors, were kept abreast of developments throughout negotiations with Israel and have voiced no objections to the deal.
As part of the deal, Arsenal will declare Israel the club’s official, exclusive holiday destination, and “visit Israel” ads will appear at the new stadium, on the clubs website and official magazine. The stadium will also feature permanent sales tables for t-shirts, and Israel will enjoy rights to use images of Arsenal stars for advertising purposes.
That is, if you think it’s funny to watch an Arab company tie itself into knots when it finds out it has to share the limelight with Israel. This Arab newspaper says the Emirates are working as hard as they can to untangle themselves from a world in which they actually have to see evidence of Israel’s existence next to a stadium with an Arab country’s name on it.
DUBAI — A second contract between Arsenal football club and Israel is not likely to be signed if Emirates airline succeeds in convincing the club not to renew its sponsorship deal to promote Israel’s tourism industry. An official spokesperson of the Emirates airline said the Arsenal-Israel tie-up is “unfortunate and we are obviously not happy. We will do our best to persuade Arsenal to not renew its deal with Israel.†News sources said the English football group has signed a two-year sponsorship deal, worth £350,000, to promote the Israeli tourism industry.
If someone can tell the difference between this story, and a story of anti-Semitism coming from the heyday of Nazi Germany, I’d sure like to hear it. Because I think there’s no real difference.
Emirates was the airline that refused to serve Kosher meals, right?
That story was lost in the Silent Running server crash, but yeah, I think so. Let’s ask Bruce.
This time we have guns (and nukes). Only difference.
Conversations we’re not likely to have.
“As a long-time fan of Arsenal Football Club, I must say how impressed I was to learn that your airline’s 2007 sponsorship will proudly rank alongside Tourism Israel advertisements. I was so impressed that I’d now like to book a trip to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, flying Emirates. My dietary needs are glatt Kosher, and I would appreciate seeing “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Exodus” during the flight.
“Can you please organise for me on my arrival a tour of the beautiful Golan, and I’d like to pray at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron.
“There’s a friendly football game on between Denmark and Israel, and I would like to be there in time for that.
“Hello … hello … oi, something must have happened to the phone connection.”
The difference between now and Nazi Germany?
We know it’s coming now.
We’ve got weapons now.
Never Again means never again.
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