Al-Hakim: "Wrong victim who has fallen"

"Stop talking. Jump into the cage and I'll give you a banana. "

It was that comment, addressed to Östersund goalkeeper Aly Keita during a match in 2019, that led the Swedish Football Association's (SvFF) referees' committee to decide to suspend all Swedish referee Martin Strömbergsson from further sentencing for the rest of the year.

Mohammed Al-Hakim does not in any way want to diminish Keita's experience of the situation and does not defend his Swedish judge's choice of words - but the aftermath is something he does not consider proportionate.

- It feels heavy. We have lost one of the country's best and most qualified judges, says the 35-year-old judge and continues:

- I can really get into his situation and panic about getting a stamp that is so far from his personality you can come. Martin is one who works hard with integration issues, gender equality and all people's equal value. It hurts a little extra when everything is dressed in a context that we do not recognize.

What do you think of the statement?

- It is clear that it is a mistake he has made, but I also know the context behind his statement. He has been really stupid - but has repeatedly apologized. He has taken great consequences from his comment. He has had no evil or racist thought but has used some old expression about goalkeepers, this time without reflecting on the goalkeeper's skin color and that was his case.

Do you think the shutdown is unreasonable?

- I do not want to think about how my employer (SvFF) has handled the event, but I know Martin well. During my 28 years in Sweden, I have experienced racism several times. I have shot shots for my background a number of times, of course, given my background. I know what racism is and who has that behavior. In this case, Martin is not racist and what he has done is not racist. I do not think so.

Al-Hakim, who was born in Iraq, points out that he shares SvFF's values ​​and zero-tolerance against all forms of discrimination, and believes that football has gone further than many parts of society in this matter.

- But I have a hard time seeing how a suspension of Martin should really help us in the fight against racism. At the same time, I also trust that the managers of the union have made an assessment that has support in labor law.

Do you find this to be counterproductive in the fight against racism?

- Yeah, it feels a bit like it. We're going to chase the right people in the fight against racism, but here I think it's the wrong victim who fell for that fight.

- Again, I have experienced racism many times. It's more about body language and behavior, things that are hard to touch. That is the kind of racism we have to fight. Not when someone said a frog and then apologized. That is a difference to me.

Do you think Martin Strömbergsson will be able to come back and judge this year?

- I do not think so. Our professional judges are hired one year at a time and now he is suspended for the rest of his tenure. It is a clear signal to me.