Your Call, 2.25
I'll try to keep this brief, because I wanted to get rolling on a different sort of Davis Cup red-meat post for later in the day. However, I feel obliged to address the decision taken by the Swedes to play the Sweden vs. Israel Davis Cup tie in Malmo, behind closed doors.
That's right - no spectators. The Swedish federation is worried about demonstrations against Israel.
This is a despicable decision that represents capitulation to political gangsterism, and the unique form of anti-semitism that hides under a pretty cloak of humanitarian concern. And don't let those clogs, skinny jeans, peace signs and retro-Puma sneakers fool you - nobody does anti-semitism better than blond, blue-eyed, northern Europeans - the painful realities of the Arab-Israel conflict non withstanding.
So: if the fearful federation types can't provide adequate security (and, really, how hard could it be to do so in an indoor tennis arena?), or fear mob rule, they should do one of two things: forfeit the tie, or move it to a neutral site, even though it means surrendering the home-ground advantage. In the big picture, that advantage is a privilege, not a right.
I am not buying this crap-ola about the potential move to Stockholm "falling through." The bottom line is that if there are to be no spectators in Malmo, the Swedish federation is going to take a financial bath anyway. And that means they can move the tie to any place that might be willing to, or interested in, having it. And if the democratic, enlightened state that is Sweden cannot provide a safe place for two nations to play a Davis Cup tie, seek another option.
For example, why not admit that you can't (or, more likely, don't really want to) control your people and have the tie played in. . . Israel? That's right. It may seem unfair to punish the Swedish team by making them play an away tie when they have the right to play at home, but it's also unfair to the Israeli players to deny them the security they're owed (and the protections they're entitled to expect). Playing the tie behind closed doors basically defines the Israelis as pariahs (frankly, I think that's the covert, political intent of this weasly decision) and that's a horrible and blatant injustice that only the truly bigoted can countenance.
I think the ITF ought to call an emergency meeting and contemplate either suspending Sweden (a move I'd make only as a last resort, because it's unfair to the fundamentally apolitical Swedish players), or taking the tie away from them, and hosting it under the ITF banner at a neutral site.
I am going to join the Mod Squad in insisting that the discussion in the comments remain civil. As always, the best policy regarding trolls is to ignore the comment in question until it disappears.
PS - That's Dudi Sela serving in the photo, in case you were wondering.
- Pete Bodo***