Fortuna Dusseldorf Abandons Deal with Shon Weissman After Fan Outcry

German club Fortuna Dusseldorf has rescinded its agreement with Israeli international Shon Weissman following significant backlash from fans. The objections stemmed from Weissman’s past social media activity and statements seemingly supporting Israeli actions in Gaza, according to international reports on Wednesday.

Weissman, a striker for Spanish team Granada CF, had reportedly reached terms with the German second-division club. However, strong opposition arose among supporters due to his social media commentary on the Gaza conflict, leading Dusseldorf to reverse its decision.

Public disapproval surfaced online on Monday after reports circulated that Weissman was nearing a deal with Fortuna Dusseldorf from Granada.

On Tuesday, the club issued a brief statement on X, stating that they had evaluated Shon Weissman but ultimately chose not to proceed with his signing.

“We looked into Shon Weissman intensively, but ultimately decided not to sign him”.

While the club did not initially disclose the specific reason for withdrawing from the agreement, reports indicate that it was due to widespread fan outrage over Weissman’s social media posts concerning Gaza.

Reports indicate that the player had already arrived in Dusseldorf and completed a medical assessment.

Weissman, who has represented Israel 33 times, posted multiple messages on social media supporting actions in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which initiated the conflict.

Reports suggest that Weissman had advocated for Israel to “wipe Gaza off the map” and “drop 200 tons of bombs on it”.

The 29-year-old had also reportedly liked posts stating “there are no innocents [in Gaza], they don’t need to be warned”.

Weissman later deleted the posts, claiming they were a mistake made in the heat of the moment.