‘Shame on them’: Arab soccer player denounces racist fans who called him a terrorist
Midfielder on national team says culprits should be jailed, thanks president for calling him after incident at Euro qualifier in Jerusalem
Michael Horovitz is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel
Mohammad Abu Fani, an Arab player on Israel’s national soccer team, said Wednesday said racist fans should be jailed after he was subjected to offensive chants and jeering during a Euro 2024 tournament qualifier earlier this week.
Abu Fani was booed and called a “terrorist” during the team’s 2-1 win over Andorra on Monday at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem.
“I had a difficult night, I cried a lot and a lot of thoughts went through my head,” the midfielder, 25, told the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. “It’s not logical that a crowd that’s supposed to encourage you swears at you.
“I came to play for the national team and I was humiliated and hurt. I am a person before I’m a player, I have a heart, emotions and a family. Enough already. The fans [who did this] should be put in jail. Their place is behind bars. Shame on them,” he said.
Teddy Stadium is home to Beitar Jerusalem, which is known for its core of rabid far-right supporters called La Familia who engage in violent, racist behavior. Last year, then-defense minister Benny Gantz suggested La Familia be labeled a terrorist group.
Beitar Jerusalem has infamously never signed an Arab player and fans have protested the addition of Muslim players to the team.
הגזענות במגרשים חייבת להיפסק.
הגעתי אתמול לביתו של שחקן נבחרת ישראל מוחמד אבו פאני בכפר קרע ושמעתי ממנו על התחושות הקשות מהקריאות הגזעניות לעברו במשחק בטדי.
אמרתי לו שכולנו עומדים מאחוריו וגאים בו. pic.twitter.com/Ea7jXi9mpF
— Miki Zohar מיקי זוהר (@zoharm7) June 21, 2023
On Tuesday, President Isaac Herzog phoned the player to comfort him and condemn the incident, while Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar sat beside him at his home to express support. The president and Abu Fani also met at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem later that day.
“I was very angered by what I heard and saw, and I am very proud of you. You are an amazing citizen who brings respect and pride to the country,” Herzog said.
Abu Fani said the phone call “wasn’t taken for granted,” and that the conversation boosted his spirits, in the interview Wednesday. He thanked Israeli soccer officials and teammates for sticking by him after the incident.
Zohar also slammed the crowd’s behavior and backed Abu Fani at their meeting, adding that the “small group” of people “don’t represent what our country represents.”
The player described how he “broke down” following the match after hearing calls of “Abu Fani is dead” and “Abu Fani is a terrorist.”
“It was difficult to hear and digest. I am a national player, I came to help, why do I deserve this?” he said.
Abu Fani said that he had thought for a moment to leave the field, but decided that he could not abandon his teammates.
“I didn’t want to mess up the game. I knew the consequences and I got a hold of myself. I waited for the final whistle and then broke down,” he said.
“Their behavior was repulsive. We must denounce this bad and ugly phenomenon as quickly as possible,” he said, adding that he wasn’t sure if it would have made a difference if the game wasn’t at Beitar Jerusalem’s home.
Channel 12 news reported Tuesday that the national team may request to move future matches from the venue, and quoted an unnamed Israeli official who said it was possible that all of Israel’s home games would in the future be played at Tel Aviv’s Bloomfield Stadium or Haifa’s Sammy Ofer Stadium instead.
On Tuesday, Abu Fani’s father, Sami told Ynet: “I felt bad for two reasons. First, from the racist jeers. Second, it didn’t come from the opposing team.”
“When the opposing team swears at you, it’s a sign you’re a good player. When it comes from your fans, it hurts,” he said.
He said that most of Beitar Jerusalem’s fans were good people, recalling that he was a fan of the team in the 1980s, but said there were now extremists who “take control of the crowd and push out all the good people.
“They say he is a terrorist, but I think those fans are terrorists against the state. They shoot themselves in the foot. People like this don’t need to be on the field, they need to be in jail for a day or two,” Sami added.
Israel’s hopes for a spot in the Euro 2024 soccer tournament were given a boost with the Monday night win that came despite sloppy play and several missed opportunities that allowed Andorra to stay in contention until the end.
The win keeps third-place Israel in sight of Group I leaders Switzerland and Romania in the qualifier tournament to determine which teams will vie for Europe’s top soccer prize in Germany next year. Israel has 7 points, and Switzerland and Romania are sitting at 10 and 8 points, respectively, after battling to a 2-2 draw in front of a stunned Lucerne crowd.
The top two teams will automatically advance to the main tournament next June, and three third-placed teams will make it to the tournament via a playoff round in March.
Beitar’s fans came under scrutiny last month when they stormed the pitch following their team’s win of the State Cup, forcing authorities to cancel the medal ceremony and threaten to strip the team of its trophy.
The team’s own fans set fire to their club’s headquarters in 2013 after the team signed two Chechen Muslim soccer players.ֿֿ
A group of fans was arrested last year after rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv’s training center was severely damaged in an arson attack, and there have been multiple other incidents of violence and racism by Beitar Jerusalem fans.
