1/16/2024–|Last updated: 1/16/202408:01 PM (Mecca time)
An Israeli player active in a Turkish club sparked widespread controversy after he scored a goal and celebrated it in a way that seemed to support the Israeli genocide in Gaza that has been going on for more than 100 days.
Sagiv Yehezkel (28 years old) had scored a goal for his team Antalyaspor against Trabzonspor in the Turkish Football League, where he raised his hand with a bandage on it, and drew on it the six-pointed Star of David logo, and wrote on it (100 days/October 7).
The movement sparked widespread anger on social media platforms, and commentators accused him of supporting “genocide in Gaza,” while the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the state of Antalya opened a judicial investigation against the player.
According to Turkish reports, the Israeli player was heard in a court session “on charges of incitement to hatred, due to his ugly gesture in support of the Israeli massacre in Gaza,” according to the Turkish Minister of Justice.
In turn, the player defended himself, and said that he did not take any step to incite or provoke anyone, and that he is not a supporter of the war, and wants it to end, and that is why he showed this slogan, according to him.
“He should be prosecuted”
The Shabakat program – in its episode dated (1/16/2024) – monitored the comments of the platforms’ audience on the Israeli player’s movement, amid a consensus that he should be punished and not double standards, while others suggested banning contracts with Israeli players.
For his part, Adel said, “When Arab players in Europe express their opinion and support for Palestine, their career is destroyed,” adding, “This player knows that he will not be harmed.”
Samir pointed out the suffering faced by players who support Arab and Islamic causes, and in this context, he said, “The West was demanding the expulsion of players who support Palestine to their countries of origin. Even if this player was expelled, the country is not his country in the first place.”
As for Fouad, he rejected the double standards and commented on the incident, “An eye for an eye. We must not accept double standards. This player supports genocide in Gaza, so he must be tried like the player (Youssef) Atal, (Anwar) Al-Ghazi and others.”
In turn, Saeed Al-Hajj Al-Nafs hopes that the Football Association and the Turkish clubs will take a decision to ban the contracting of “Israeli” players.
It is noteworthy that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant attacked Turkey, and considered the arrest of the player – who previously defended the colors of the Israeli under-21 national team – “an expression of hypocrisy and ingratitude. Turkey, through its actions, acts as an executive arm for Hamas.”
Later, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Turkish police released the player, provided that he would be tried without arrest, noting that Yehezkel returned to Israel, after signing a document obligating him to come to Turkey if it was decided to renew the procedures in his case.
It is worth noting that the Antalyaspor administration terminated the contract with the player, accusing him of “behaving in a manner that violates the country’s values,” while the latter said after his arrival in Israel, “It was a big and frightening nightmare, and I could not believe that I would find myself detained in Turkey.”