ABANDONED Saudi Arabia flag bunting will be flown at London’s leading pub-based fantasy football World Cup auction next Tuesday (12 June) to ‘celebrate diversity and inclusion’.

The decision was taken by the Kenna League after it emerged on Monday (4 June) Greene King has ordered its pub leaseholders to remove the Saudi Arabia flag from its World Cup bunting.

“All the countries of the World Cup need to be recognised. When we heard Greene King were removing the Saudi flag from its bunting we knew straight away we should make a statement to celebrate diversity and inclusion,” said the Kenna League chairman.

“A World Cup without Saudi Arabia is like a Bloody Mary without horseradish,” continued the chairman. “Who could forget Saeed Al-Owairan running from his own half to score against Belgium in Washington in 1994?

“Or the time…um…you know…when they…err…lost 8-0 to Germany in Sapporo in 2002.”

According to reports in the media, Greene King removed the flag because the Arabic writing reads ‘There is no God but God, Muhammed in the messenger of God’ and ‘some people in London said’ it may cause offence being shown in premises serving alcohol.

“We’re ‘some people in London too’ and according to Wikipedia, the sword represents strictness in applying justice. We think this is absolutely in line with our values of upholding the Titus Bramble ruling,” said the chairman.

The decision by Kenna HQ has divided opinion on Twitter, with two people ‘liking’ the idea but one user taking a different view.

they say ignorance is bliss so I can see why you’re so proud of yourself

— zephyr neat (@zephyr_neat) June 4, 2018

“We could see this Twitter user was particularly interested in the concept so we invited them to take part in next week’s auction,” said the chairman.

“Then we saw he’d used exactly the same comeback to another tweet on the same issue. With that lack of creativity and low number of Twitter followers this person is surely born to be a Kenna manager.”

they say ignorance is bliss..you must be ecstatic
Islam and alcohol is a no no and the verse on the flag is exclusively Islamic..simple

— zephyr neat (@zephyr_neat) June 4, 2018

The Dmitri Kharine World Cup 2018 auction begins at 7pm on Tuesday in a Shepherd Neame pub in the City of London.

The Kenna League vice chairman, who is running an auction for the first time, has assured the league it is entirely up to managers themselves whether they would like to be ‘doped’ or ‘poisoned’ by drinks laced with MDMA.

Unless they Bramble.