Football and Politics in Bahrain

Two of Bahrain's top footballers, Ala'a Hubail and his brother Mohammed, have been arrested for participating in anti-government demonstrations. "The dismissals are widely believed to have occurred at the behest of the government," writes James Dorsey over at the mideastsoccer blog. 200 Shi'a sportspeople in the Gulf kingdom have been suspended as the hardline Sunni government continues its repression campaign against the democratic reform movement.