Bundesliga’s Fortuna Duesseldorf pull out of signing Israeli striker over Gaza comments
Bundesliga 2 side Fortuna Duesseldorf has pulled out of signing IsraelI striker Shon Weissman in response to fan anger about his social media posts in which he supported the genocide in Gaza.
In now deleted posts on social media, Weissman had reportedly called for Israel to “wipe Gaza off the map” and to “drop 200 tons of bombs on it” after the October 7, 2023 attack. The 29-year-old had also liked posts saying “there are no innocents (in Gaza), they don’t need to be warned”.
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”. On Tuesday, the club tweeted: “We looked into Shon Weissman intensively, but ultimately decided not to sign him”.
German newspaper Bild reported that the club reacted to fan anger about Weissman, who was already in Duesseldorf and had completed a medical to join the team from Spanish side Granada FC.
