UAE royal’s investment in ‘Israel’s most racist’ football club frozen

The deal has been frozen due to Sheik's 'ties to dubious businessmen'

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- The acquisition of a 50 percent stake in Israel’s anti-Arab Beitar Jerusalem Football Club by a United Arab Emirates royal has been frozen due to questions over the sheikh’s finances.

The club, which has gained notoriety for the racism of its fans and their “death to Arabs” chants, said on Thursday the Rights Transfer Committee of Israel’s football federation, which must approve the sale, requested more documents to continue with the purchase.

In December the Emirati royal agreed to buy half the club for 300m shekels (almost $92m) from Moshe Hogeg, Beitar Jerusalem’s CEO.

However, last month the transfer of the ownership rights to Hamad bin Khalifa hit a snag, when the Israeli Football Association opened an investigation into the deal and raised questions over “significant gaps” in the Emirati’s financial situation.

The team had said Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family, has pledged to invest 300 million shekels ($92m) in the club over the next 10 years.

But in recent weeks, questions have reportedly arisen about the sheikh’s true wealth.

The Marker, an Israeli business news website, reported last month that an audit of the sheikh’s finances commissioned by Israel’s football federation revealed several inactive companies and financial discrepancies.

The Marker also reported that Hamad bin Khalifa’s assets, some of which are in Lebanon, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, had less value in reality than declared in the books.

Beitar Jerusalem’s fans are known for racist chants against Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims.

It is the only club in the Israeli Premier League never to have had any players from the Palestinian community in Israel, which comprises 20 percent of the country’s population.

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