In first, soccer club faces disciplinary action over fans’ anti-gay chants

At 13th minute of Saturday match, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s fans repeatedly shouted ‘Danny Amos is gay’ at goalkeeper of rival Maccabi Netanya; LGBT task force welcomes move

By ToI Staff 23 January 2022, 10:48 pm

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Illustrative: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans during the UEFA Champions League playoff round second leg soccer match between Switzerland's FC Basel 1893 and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv on August 25, 2015. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

In a precedent in Israel, a soccer club will face a disciplinary hearing over homophobic chants by its fans during a match, the Kan public broadcaster reported Sunday.

At the 13th minute of Saturday’s Israel Premier League bout, fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv repeatedly shouted, “Danny Amos is gay” at the goalkeeper of the rival Maccabi Netanya.

While he is not a member of the LGBTQ community, Amos has a gay brother and is a vocal supporter of LGBTQ rights. He has been teased for this by fans of other teams on several occasions in the past.

At one point, he complained about the chants to the referee.

The Aguda – Israel’s LGBT Task Force said in response: “In a reality where ‘gay’ and ‘sissy’ are the most common slurs on the soccer pitch, and in which proud athletes fear that coming out of the closet will end their careers, this creates an unsafe space for LGBT in Israeli sports. The Football Association’s decision to prosecute over anti-gay slurs is an important one that will aid in ridding the pitch of homophobia.”