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Bundesliga 2 side German Club, Fortuna Duesseldorf has pulled out of signing Israel striker Shon Weissman in response to fan anger about his social media posts on the Gaza war, German tabloid Bild reported Tuesday.
Fan furore erupted online on Monday when news emerged that Weissman was on the cusp of joining Duesseldorf from Spanish side Granada FC.
On Tuesday, the German Club tweeted: “We looked into Shon Weissman intensively, but ultimately decided not to sign him”.
The club did not reveal the reasons for the decision, but Bild reported the club reacted to fan anger about social media statements from Weissman, who was already in Duesseldorf and had completed a medical.
The centre-forward, who has 33 Israel caps, made several social media posts after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that set off the Gaza war.
Bild reported Weissman called for Israel to “wipe Gaza off the map” and to “drop 200 tons of bombs on it”.
The 29-year-old had also liked posts saying “there are no innocents (in Gaza), they don’t need to be warned”.
Weissman, who deleted the posts soon after making them, has since said he made a mistake and was acting in the heat of the moment.
Duesseldorf fans 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”.
Weissman has already been the subject of fan protests in Granada, who he joined in January 2023.
Bild reported Duesseldorf and Weissman had planned to issue an apology statement for the posts, which was to be made public after the signing was made official.
The war has previously made an impact on professional football in Germany.
German football fans are heavily involved in major decisions, from signing players to setting fixtures, due to the so-called 50+1 regulation, which requires club members to retain overall control of professional football sides.
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