German football team cancels “Israeli” player transfer over offensive Gaza posts

German football club Fortuna Dusseldorf has canceled its planned signing of “Israeli” international striker Shon Weissman following widespread fan protests over his controversial social media posts concerning Gaza from October 2023.

The decision, announced on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, came despite Weissman having completed a medical examination and terms being finalized.

The controversy erupted due to Weissman's posts on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the October 7, 2023 events.

His remarks included questioning why "200 tons of bombs have not already been dropped on Gaza?" and commenting on a photo of detained Palestinians, "Why the hell aren't they being shot in the head?".

He also liked posts advocating to "Erase Gaza" and stating "there are no innocents [in Gaza]" . Weissman later deleted the posts, claiming he acted "in the heat of the moment," but subsequently stated fans lacked "the full context" and vowed to "continue to proudly carry the Israeli flag".

News of the potential €500,000 transfer from Spain's Granada ignited an immediate "online fan furore".

Dusseldorf supporters launched an online petition, arguing Weissman's "disrespectful and discriminatory" comments contradicted Fortuna's principles.

Initially, the club's social media manager appeared to defend the move, stating, "Judging people you don't know based on their Wikipedia page? That's not in line with our values".

However, following an emergency meeting, Fortuna issued a brief official statement: "We looked into Shon Weissman intensively, but ultimately decided not to sign him".

German tabloid Bild reported the club reacted directly to "fan anger," with Yedioth Ahronoth adding the decision reflected "public pressure" and "club values" .