The Washington Times

Israeli soccer fans decry new Muslim players

Fans have rebelled, but decision-makers for a popular Israeli soccer club, Beitar Jerusalem, vow to push forward with plans to bring on board two players of Muslim faith.

The Los Angeles Times reported the two players — Zaur Sadayev and Gabriel Kadiev, from Chechnya — arrived in Israel to the chants of protesters: “No Entry for Arabs.” 

Israeli President Shimon Peres is outraged, according to the Times.

“Racism has struck the Jewish people harder than any other nation in the world,” Mr. Peres reportedly said.

Soccer club managers sensitive to the fans’ backlash initially called for a scheduled match against an Arab team to be played in an empty stadium, the Times continued.

The game was ultimately played before hundreds of spectators — but not until hundreds of police were on hand to keep peace, the paper reported.

 

© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

About the Author

Cheryl K. Chumley

Cheryl Chumley is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She’s also a 2008-2009 Robert Novak journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation. She can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.

Latest Stories

Latest Blog Entries

Comments
blog comments powered by Disqus
You Might Also Like
  • Illegal immigrants easily step over a fallen barbed-wire fence between Mexico and the United States near the town of Sasabe, Mexico, in 2004. The number of apprehensions of illegal border-crossers is down while the number of deaths in the desert is high. (Associated Press)

    Non-deportation rate drops — to 99.2 percent

  • ** FILE ** Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

    Cuccinelli accepts Va. GOP gubernatorial nomination

  • Ousted IRS chief Steven Miller testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, May 17, 2013, before the House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the extra scrutiny the IRS gave Tea Party and other conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

    Treasury officials told of IRS probe in June 2012

      • Independent voices from the TWT Communities

        The Business of Living

        Libertarian thought beyond politics, unrestrained by convention.

        Omkara World

        Empowering mind/body/spirit and health dialogue along with cutting-edge, conscious social, political, and world commentary with Adam Omkara. Join the Evolution!

        Wells on Music

        Viewing and reviewing the Los Angeles experimental and classic punk scene with a nod to Rodney's English Disco