“Wipe Gaza Off the Map”: German Soccer Club Cancels Israeli Striker Signing After Pro-Genocide Social Media Posts
Berlin (Quds News Network)- Israeli striker Shon Weissman will not be joining German second-division club Fortuna Düsseldorf, the team announced Tuesday, citing his social media posts supporting the ongoing genocide in Gaza. In one post, Weissman called to “wipe Gaza off the map.”
On Tuesday, the club tweeted: “We looked into Shon Weissman intensively, but ultimately decided not to sign him”.
The club had been close to signing Weissman, who currently plays for Spanish side Granada. However, fans protested his potential arrival, German tabloid Bild has reported.
The posts in question date back to October 2023, shortly after Israel launched its assault on Gaza. According to Weissman's English-language Wikipedia page, he posted on X: "What's the logical reason that 200-ton bombs haven't been dropped on Gaza yet?"
Weissman also liked and shared posts calling to "wipe Gaza off the map," suggesting there were "no innocents" in the Strip, and responding to a photo of two Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces by writing, "Why the hell aren't they being shot in the head?"
According to reports, in 2023, a local prosecutor in Granada reportedly received a hate crimes complaint over the player's posts. Weissman's agent later claimed the posts and likes – since deleted – were not made by the player himself but by a social media manager who had access to his accounts.
Fortuna's official social media account issued a rare public defense of the Israeli player late Monday following the backlash. "What's going on here? I keep getting messages," the club wrote. "Judging people you don't know based on their Wikipedia page? That doesn't reflect our values."
The response was harshly criticized. "These values don't belong at Fortuna," one fan wrote. "There are clear reports and evidence supporting what's on Wikipedia. Better to drop to the third division than bring in a player who doesn't represent the club's values."
Another wrote, “It actually doesn’t fit with the Düsseldorf bubble to bring in players who are responsible for the annihilation of an entire people and the killing of children, but look where we’ve ended up.”
Dusseldorf fans also launched an online petition on Monday saying Weissman’s “disrespectful and discriminatory” comments are in stark contrast to the principles Fortuna “stand for and try to promote”.
Bild reported that Dusseldorf and Weissman had planned to issue an apology statement for the posts, which was to be made public after the signing was made official.
As the genocide in Gaza continues and humanitarian conditions worsen, pressure is growing on Berlin, the second largest provider of weapons to the occupation state, to reassess its military trade with Israel. Rights groups and opposition parties are demanding greater transparency, accountability, and adherence to international law.
