German soccer club defends pulling out of hiring Israeli player Shon Weissman over his Gaza posts

The chairman of Fortuna Düsseldorf has defended the German soccer club’s decision to pull out of signing Israeli player Shon Weissman after fan backlash over his social media posts about Gaza, saying it’s “absurd” to accuse the second-division team of antisemitism.

Düsseldorf announced Tuesday that it would not recruit Weissman from Spanish team Granada despite having been in advanced negotiations.

Fans had opposed the planned signing of the 29-year-old Weissman because of his social media posts expressing support for Israel’s conduct in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Weissman’s Instagram account was set to “private” today.

In the social media post on Tuesday announcing the decision, the club did not say why it had called off the transfer. But Fortuna issued a statement yesterday saying Weissman’s “statements on social media and the subsequent handling of them were not consistent with our values.”

Chairman Klaus Allofs defends the club’s decision before the team’s match against Hannover today, but acknowledges that a faster process to reach the decision would have been preferable.

“I wouldn’t say it was a mistake. We tried to sign a player and I think that’s legitimate,” Allofs says. “It’s also part of our values, that we don’t limit ourselves with prejudices and rule things out from the start.”

Allofs says the club deliberately waited to consult with Jewish community members in Düsseldorf before deciding against the signing.

Asked about accusations of antisemitism, Allofs says: “It’s absurd, to put it bluntly.”