Malaysian Clerics warn Muslims against the use of Manchester United kit
Many predicted that football would be popular in Asia and it was. Though its introduction in the continent came long ago and since then players have been erupting on the world class surface the sport has never really caught the flame like it has in Europe. One major reason for that would be the diversity of other sports present in the region.
Nevertheless football is Asia has continued to bring world class players to the surface of the world. The FIFA World Cups of course have helped in this process and this year the 2010 World Cup in South Africa happened to have done the same thing. Not only did the football fever take the continent in its firm grip but it also regenerated a generation towards football.
The World Cups are not the only tournaments that promote football. Leagues and Championships have done so too and there is a large fan base of football clubs present in the continent. For instance Manchester United being one of the biggest powerhouses of football has many fans and many of them are related to Asia.
However as there is a major difference in the cultures and traditions of Europe and Asia, their ideology is still very different and that would be another reason for football not picking up that much in some regions of Asia. For instance the Islamic Clerics from Malaysia have asked people not to wear the jersey of Manchester United and the reason for that is the club’s logo and its nickname.
The logo of Manchester United shows a devil with his fork and the popular nickname of the club the “Red Devils” suggests the same meaning. The Islamic clerics have explained that it is wrong to promote an object that has iconographic relations to the Devil or Satan.
Muslim cleric from Malaysian state Johor, Nooh Gadot has expressed, “This is very dangerous. As a Muslim, we should not worship the symbols of other religions or the devils”. This suggests again the diversity and understanding of Islam in the continent still has varied implications, even among the educated.
Gadot added to his statement saying, “Even if it is a gift, we should decline it. It is even more sinful when people realise this is wrong and still buy these jerseys to wear”.
The logo of Manchester United has changed its form over time but in essence it has remained the same. Originally it was derived from the Manchester City Council Coat of Arms although what remains unchanged from the initial piece is the Ship. The name Red Devils however came from the beginning as the logo too was red and it became symphonic in reference to the ship.
The club was formed in 1878, still the Red Devils logo was never introduced before the 1960s when it started to appear on scarves and shirts. Even then it did not come onto the team kits before the 1970s though the only exceptions came in the final matches.
The sponsors of the club have recently changed too. AIG has now been replaced by AON but this matter for both clubs would have been no big issue and they would have refused to change the picture. The club has a broad market in England and abroad worth billions and that is not going to change the minds of the sponsors or the team.
They have been rated as AAA and in 2010 they have been rated as the second most valuable sport team brand by Forbes while the first place was taken by the New York Yankees. In the footballing world it is considered behind Real Madrid and Barcelona at the 3rd position when it comes to its financial worth.
Though there are many Manchester United supporters in Malaysia and the neighbouring countries, followers of the Muslim clerics in Malaysia have already ceased the use of jerseys and kits of countries and clubs like Brazil, Serbia, Portugal, Norway and Barcelona as they use the cross on them and that from an Islamic point of view is not right.
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