Wembley will STOP lighting up arch to mark terror attacks and social causes – after FA bosses came under fire for refusing to illuminate stadium in wake of Hamas atrocities against Israel

• The arch will only light up in colours related to the stadium’s use as a venue 

The Wembley Stadium will stop lighting up its arch to mark terror attacks and social causes around the world. 

It comes after FA bosses came under fire for refusing to illuminate the stadium in the wake of Hamas attacks on Israel which killed about 1,200 people. 

Lord John Mann, the Government’s antisemitism adviser, said lighting it up would have provided a ‘message of hope and comfort’ to Britain’s Jewish community – while rabbi Alex Goldberg quit the FA’s ‘Faith in Football’ group after the decision. 

Now the arch will only light up in colours directly related to the stadium’s use as a sport and music venue, Sky News reported. 

It has also been used to support inclusion and diversity campaigns, but it is understood this will no longer be the case. In the past few years the arch has been illuminated in rainbow colours to support LGBTQ+ rights. 

The Wembley arch would still be lit to mark the deaths of famous national figures – such as a monarch – as it was when Queen Elizabeth II passed away last year. 

In the past few years the Wembley arch has been illuminated in rainbow colours to support LGBTQ + rights

The Wembley Stadium will stop lighting up its arch to mark terror attacks and social causes around the world

The arch has adopted the flags of countries including France, Turkey and Ukraine after attacks on the countries over the years. 

The FA chose not to light the arch in blue and white, the colours of the Israeli flag, following the Hamas attacks on a line of areas close to the Garda border and an outdoor music festival on October 7. 

The attack prompted Israel to retaliate and launch a war on Hamas, which has so far seen as many as 14,000 people killed in Gaza. 

Due to an outpouring of pro-Palestinian protests within the UK, the FA chose not to show support for Israel at Wembley amid the conflict. 

The FA alternatively opted for a silence to ‘remember the innocent victims of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine’ before the men’s international between Australia and England which was held in Wembley in October. 

Lord John Mann claimed lighting up the arch would have provided a ‘message of hope and comfort to the Jewish community in Britain. 

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Israeli professional football leagues wrote to the Premier League to say he was ‘amazed shocked and disappointed beyond words’ at the lack of response to Hamas’s terrorist attack in Israel last week.

Lord John Mann, the Government’s antisemitism adviser, said lighting up the arch would have provided a ‘message of hope and comfort’ to Britain’s Jewish community

The Wembley Arch pictured unlit on a cloudy morning in North London

READ MORE: Backlash grows at FA’s refusal to light up Wembley for Israel: Government’s anti-Semitism adviser slams ‘mind-blowing’ decision and Lucy Frazer is ‘extremely disappointed’ – as Israeli football boss blasts Premier League over response to Hamas attacks

A backlash over the FA’s decision not to light up the Wembley arch grew last month as the government’s antisemitism adviser called it ‘mind-blowing’ and an Israeli football boss declared himself ‘disappointed beyond words’.

Sporting bodies across the UK have been urged by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to pay tribute at sporting events to victims of violence in Israel after attacks by Palestinian terror group Hamas on the country. 

The FA’s silence led to the resignation of the FA’s Faith in Football network, Rabbi Alex Goldberg, due to the lack of ‘specific tribute’ to Israel.  

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: ‘I recognise that our decision caused hurt to the Jewish community who felt that we should have lit the arch and that we should have shown stronger support for them.

‘This was one of the hardest decisions we’ve had to make, and the last thing we ever wanted to do in this situation was to add to the hurt.’

He added that not everyone has to agree with their decision but should try to ‘understand how we reached it’. 

MailOnline has contacted the FA and Wembley for comment.  

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