After fan protests, Fortuna Düsseldorf abandons the transfer of an Israeli footballer – the case has only losers

How far does the power of fans extend? Such questions arise far less frequently in many European leagues than in Germany, where the ultra movement has deep roots. Some fan groups see themselves as guardians of tradition and moral customs, and their influence is sometimes considerable.

When Fortuna Düsseldorf announced last week that they would not sign Israeli Shon Weissman, an ultra group claimed the victory for themselves. They had launched a petition against the attacker's signing.

To call the events a scandal is no exaggeration. They caused quite a stir in Germany. The club and the player, who most recently played for Granada in the Spanish second division, had actually already reached an agreement. Weissman had already completed his medical. The fact that the contract was not signed was due to Weissmann's behavior suddenly being discussed on social media.

Immediately after the Hamas massacre, in which nearly 1,200 Jews were killed on October 7, 2023, Weissman liked posts expressing fantasies of revenge. One of them was quoted by the Bild newspaper as saying: "What logical reason is there that 200 tons of bombs haven't been dropped on Gaza yet?" He also added: "There are no innocents; we don't need to warn them before bombing them. Just wipe Gaza out." The posts were only temporary; Weissman deleted them, saying it was a mistake. However, that wasn't enough to put the issue to rest.

Düsseldorf ultimately backed down from the deal, initially keeping the club's reasons to themselves: "We looked into Shon Weissman intensively, but ultimately decided not to sign him." This left room for all kinds of speculation.

And so a delicate situation arose, making it difficult to keep track of the situation. On the one hand, there were the reflexive accusations against Fortuna: In a polemic, columnist Jan Fleischhauer called the club "certainly Aryan," a claim that a glance at the squad would have quickly refuted. The Jewish community in Düsseldorf, in its initial reaction, called it an anti-Israel campaign.

But things soon seemed different. Alon Meyer, the president of the association of Jewish sports clubs, Maccabi Germany, knows what it's like to be subjected to anti-Semitic hostility. He presides over 40,000 members. Since October 7, 2023, Maccabi athletes have been complaining about attacks that go beyond words. Meyer therefore doesn't shy away from harsh criticism. When former Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui liked an Instagram post wishing the Palestinians victory, Meyer called for Mazraoui's suspension.

However, Meyer comes to a different conclusion regarding Weissman. He can't detect any trace of anti-Semitism—on the contrary, Düsseldorf's behavior was understandable given what has come to light about Weissman. The positions Weissman would have represented are in no way tolerable, and the rejection was completely justified. "If players who don't share our values aren't signed, then I wouldn't hold it against the club. Those are the clear signals we need," says Meyer.

It would have been professional if the public hadn't even gotten to know about it. Klaus Allofs, CEO of Düsseldorf, said afterward: If Fortuna Düsseldorf had anti-Semitic tendencies, they wouldn't have had the intention of signing a Jewish professional.

Poor communication: The Düsseldorf team has to accept this accusation, Meyer confirms: "Even inviting him and having him come for a medical check—a lot of confusion went wrong there. Such research can be done in advance."

This left room to turn the incident into a scandal. Both opponents and those who suspected an anti-Semitic campaign without considering the reasons went too far. And a look at the Ultras' petition shows that the lawsuit is being filed against Weissman without detailing the allegations. There is vague talk of values. Anyone who argues so vaguely leaves themselves vulnerable.

Indeed, the discussion also demonstrates how far some debates have strayed from their foundations. The Süddeutsche Zeitung commented that the club shouldn't sign Weissman. This is absolutely correct. The article is also based on an article in the Israeli daily Haaretz, which had harshly criticized Weissman: Weissman is now facing the consequences of his actions and must take responsibility for them. There's absolutely nothing to be said against that either.

However, the Israeli commentator's postscript contained a problematic analogy. He cited examples of German clubs imposing sanctions on players after October 7, 2023: among them Noussair Mazraoui and Anwar El Ghazi, whom Mainz 05 released because he had liked the slogan "From the river to the sea" and was not receptive to criticism.

At first glance, the reactions appear similar. Under the impact of the pogrom, Shon Weissman expressed a fantasy of extinction, claiming that the Muslim players, through their behavior, condoned a massacre that had just taken place. What was disconcerting, however, was how succinctly Weissman's management handled the matter: The player "only liked a few Twitter posts and immediately deleted them." This choice of words demonstrates a clear lack of awareness of crossing boundaries.

The discussion only has losers. But Alon Meyer doesn't see only negative aspects: "Actually, something good actually came out of it. Some other Bundesliga clubs could learn from this in the future."