Despite some criticism expressed on social media, Israeli soccer player Omer Atzili signed a contract to join the United Arab Emirates Al Ain FC, although he was described on the official team website as Romanian. The two-time consecutive Israeli Footballer of the Year holds a Romanian passport in addition to his Israeli citizenship.
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The Emirati news outlets were slow to report about Atzili joining Al Ain. The news of his signing was mentioned as an aside. "Al Ain Club announced the signing of Omer Atzili from Maccabi Haifa and the departure of Caio Canedo and Andriy Yarmolenko," UAE's official news agency WAM reported.
However, some fans showed significant interest in the Israeli star. In one social media post the player was seen in a photo receiving his medical examination with a humorous caption "A picture from the medical check-up, and it's clear that he is reciting the Shahada (an Islamic profession of faith) May Allah bless you, Omer," the post said.
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OmerOmer Atzili's picture on social media with caption saying he had surely said his Shahada
(Photo: Screenshot)
Another fan joined the high hopes and tweeted, "The award for the best player of the upcoming season is already guaranteed to the talented player."
Still, there are also those who are not quick to embrace Atzili as a member of the UAE team. One Twitter user asked, "I love Palestine, do you?" There were also questions asked by fans in Israel who wondered, "Is he going to play in the Asian Champions League against Arab teams? Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc. How does he intend to travel there?"