Why did Saudi's jeer a minute silence for Franz Beckenbauer?

Crowds in attendance at the Spanish Super Cup semi-final in Saudi Arabia jeered during a minute silence for one of the greats of the game, Franz Beckenbauer, who died last week.

Germany legend Beckenbauer is one of only three people to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager. Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid players and coaching staff lined up to pay their respects during the match on Wednesday (December 10).

However, while they tried to observe a minute silence, fans jeered and disrupted the tribute.

It’s got people wondering why the crowd acted in this way - and it’s worth remembering that it’s not the first time Saudi Arabia have failed to observe minute silences.

Back in 2017 while playing Australia in a World Cup qualifier in Adelaide, the Saudi Arabia national side said it wasn't in their "culture" to observe a moment of silence for the London terror victims. Instead, all but one of the team stood seperately in their side of the field.

Speaking about the reason for Saudi individuals not respecting such tributes, Wael Jabir, who is a Middle East football columnist, previously spoke to Vice and sadi: "A minute's silence is seen in the more conservative interpretation of Islam prevalent in Saudi as a 'Bida'h', something that the prophet Muhammad never did so they should not be doing…In practice, what that means is that Saudis never observe minutes of silence for any incidents, even the death of their own king or fellow citizens."

The game itself saw Real Madrid progress to the final, while Toni Kroos, who previously said he’d never move to Saudi Arabia because of its human rights record, was subjected to boos every time he touched the ball.

Beckenbauer, nicknamed 'Der Kaiser' is regarded as one of the greatest players to have ever played the game. During his illustrious playing career Beckenbauer is credited with popularising the sweeper (or libero) role.

Sign up for our free indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings