Why Did The Emirati Sheikh Invest In Israel's 'Ultra-Racist' Football Club?

On December 4, when about 100 fans stormed the ground during the practice session of a football club called Betar Jerusalem, they were not protesting that the club was built so close to the Israeli League's relegation zone.

He was protesting why talks were being held with a member of the UAE royal family to invest in the club.

On December 7, the club announced that it had reached an investment agreement with Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Nahyan.

Betar Club fans are said to be anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and aggressive.

Prior to the announcement, fans stormed the ground and wrote inappropriate messages on the stadium's walls.

The agreement is not well received in the Arab world.

Speaking to the New York Times, Saeed Jasneen, the host of a sports radio show, called the deal "shameful."

He was particularly critical of investing in an anti-Arab club.

Betar Club is ranked 11th out of 14 teams in the Israeli League. Sheikh Al Nahyan has promised to pay 92 92 million over the next ten years to buy it and in return he has been given 50% ownership in the club.

The agreement is one of several that have been reached since the resumption of diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in September.

Although not the most important of these agreements, the Betar deal is probably one of the most controversial.

Jewish and Arab players often play together in Israel, and so does the national team. But the club has never fielded an Arab player, although they have Arab players in their junior teams.

In 2013, fans allegedly set Betar's offices on fire because they bought two Muslim players from Chechnya.

Racist slogans such as "Arabs die" banners are common between matches, while the club owner has tried to prevent this.

New owners, old problems

Moshe Hugg is from the IT industry and she writes. He bought the wireless in 2018. He was born in Israel but had a Tunisian father and a Moroccan mother.

In a BBC interview in December 2019, he described his efforts to stop the club's racist activities, including the threat of legal action against discriminating fans.

I'm not trying to ruin anyone's life, but I'm not anyone's mother or father," he said. I'm not trying to teach them anything. That's not my job

But when you bring your attitude to the stadium, it's an insult to all the fans and our nation

He said he would never buy an Arab player because he is Arab, but would not stop them from doing so for sporting reasons.

I don't think about a player's religion or color, he said. I wonder if he is capable of leading us to success, is he a good footballer? '

After the agreement with Sheikh Al Nahyan, Moshe adopted a more balanced tone. "Together we will take this club forward with a new brotherhood," he said in a statement.

On the other hand, Sheikh Al Nahyan says that he was interested in this club due to his many years of friendship with Moshe. He also has other business connections with Moshe.

He announced after the agreement that he was happy to be part of the agreement. "I've heard a lot about changes at the club and I'm happy to be a part of it."