August 6, 2025 | 12:37 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - German second-division football club Fortuna Duesseldorf has dropped its plan to sign Israeli striker Shon Weissman following public outcry over his past social media comments on the Gaza conflict, German tabloid Bild reported on Tuesday, August 5.
The backlash emerged after reports surfaced that Weissman, currently playing for Spain’s Granada FC, was undergoing a medical examination ahead of a possible move to Duesseldorf.
Online criticism from supporters intensified on Monday, with many referencing the player’s controversial posts related to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
On Tuesday, as quoted from The Times of Israel, the club posted a short statement on social media, saying: “We've looked into signing Shon Weissman intensively, but have ultimately decided against signing him.”
No specific reason was given for the reversal, but Bild noted that the decision followed strong objections from fans over Weissman’s online statements.
Weissman, 29, who has 33 caps for the Israeli national team, had made several inflammatory posts after the October 7 Hamas attack that escalated the Gaza conflict.
Reports allege that he called for Gaza to be “erased from the map” and supported the dropping of 200 tons of bombs on the territory. He also liked a post claiming there were no innocent civilians in Gaza and that no prior warnings were necessary.
Weissman later deleted the posts and admitted he had posted them while emotionally distressed.
Supporters of Fortuna Duesseldorf responded by launching an online petition, arguing that Weissman’s remarks were discriminatory and contradicted the club’s values. He had reportedly faced similar backlash from fans at Granada, where he has been playing since January 2023.
Bild also reported that the club and Weissman initially intended to issue a joint apology after finalizing the signing, but the plan was abandoned due to mounting pressure.
The conflict in Gaza has reportedly killed over 60,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, with 2.4 million residents facing the threat of famine.
Germany, traditionally a staunch ally of Israel due to its historical responsibilities after the Holocaust, has recently begun to voice concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The war has increasingly affected the country’s football landscape.
In 2023, Bundesliga side Mainz terminated Dutch-Moroccan winger Anwar El Ghazi’s contract over his social media comments on the conflict. El Ghazi later won a wrongful dismissal case in German court, although the club has appealed the ruling.
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