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German club backs out of signing Israel striker after fan backlash / Photo: © AFP
German club backs out of signing Israel striker after fan backlash
Bundesliga 2 side Fortuna Duesseldorf has pulled out of signing Israel striker Shon Weissman in response to fan anger about his social media posts on the Gaza war, German tabloid Bild reported Tuesday.
Fan furore erupted online on Monday when news emerged Weissman was on the cusp of joining Duesseldorf from Spanish side Granada FC.
On Tuesday, the club tweeted: "We looked into Shon Weissman intensively, but ultimately decided not to sign him".
The club did not reveal the reasons for the decision, but Bild reported the club reacted to fan anger about social media statements from Weissman, who was already in Duesseldorf and had completed a medical.
The centre-forward, who has 33 Israel caps, made several social media posts after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that set off the Gaza war.
Bild reported Weissman called for Israel to "wipe Gaza off the map" and to "drop 200 tons of bombs on it".
The 29-year-old had also liked posts saying "there are no innocents (in Gaza), they don't need to be warned".
Weissman, who deleted the posts soon after making them, has since said he made a mistake and was acting in the heat of the moment.
Duesseldorf fans launched an online petition on Monday saying Weissman's "disrespectful and discriminatory" comments "are in stark contrast to the principles Fortuna stand for and try to promote".
Weissman has already been the subject of fan protests in Granada, who he joined in January 2023.
Bild reported Duesseldorf and Weissman had planned to issue an apology statement for the posts, which was to be made public after the signing was made official.
After 22 months of combat sparked by the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas that killed 1,219 people and saw hundreds kidnapped, the Israeli army has devastated large parts of the Palestinian territory.
More than 60,933 Palestinians have been killed, according to figures from Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry, and humanitarian agencies have warned that the territory's 2.4 million people are slipping into a catastrophic famine.
Germany, as it has sought to atone for the Holocaust, has long been a steadfast supporter of Israel, but concern has risen sharply over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The war has previously made an impact in professional football in Germany.
In 2023, Bundesliga side Mainz decided to sack player Anwar El Ghazi for statements made on social media about the conflict.
El Ghazi, a Dutch international with Moroccan roots, won a wrongful dismissal case in a German court against the club, who have since appealed.
Former Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui, now with Manchester United, apologised publicly after making several social media posts on the conflict, including one which called for "victory" for "our oppressed brothers in Palestine."
German football fans are heavily involved in major decisions, from signing players to setting fixtures, due to the so-called 50+1 regulation, which requires club members retain overall control of professional football sides.
M.Powell--SFF
