In what other country this would be tolerated for a minority that represent a whole 20% of the country's population. As if, a US coach said ''Sorry so saying I wanted a black playing on the team''. It's very ironic that on one hand,Israel claims to be the sole democracy in the ME, and on the other hand, these kinds of statements are perfectly tolerated. Israel is NOT a democracy!

Disgusting Beitar fans, it's like English football was 20 something years ago when racist fans threw bananas at black players like John Barnes and did monkey noises. Their attitude is completely unnacceptable and the captain to back peddle shows what a weak character he has and that he is no better than them. He didn't need to say that he wants to see an Arab player at Beitar, he should have said if a player is good enough, I don't see why he shouldn't play for Beitar whatever religion or ethnicity he is. AND SHOULD STICK BY IT! I know that Beitar gets heavily fined etc for their racism but unless the IFA points deducts points heavily and places bans for the fans' racist behaviour nothing will change. The English fans have come a long way fromt heir boorish, drunken 'racist' days in the 80s but now you won't hear a racist word said against a player or official or other fans....if you do the penalties for the individual fan (who is reported) AND the club are severe. The press also condemn such actiosn which helps change attitudes. Kick racism out of football, it is blotting the Israeli game. No wonder every in Israel hates Beitar, they are a pariah. For shame!

Only in israel would a football captain apologize for sying the right thing israel is indeed gods chosen country.......chosen for hateful idiots

Either Baruchyan should be fined for his comments, or Beitar fans should be banned for one or more home games. Or both. This kind of racist crap one expects from Neo-Nazis in Europe. It's sickening enough to walk by Teddy and hear "mavet l'aravim" screamed by the "fans". They aren't fans, they're like Euro hooligans without the excess beer and booze accompanied by low IQs.

Anybody?

Disgusting team management that tolerates it. This dosn't represent Israel or even Israeli footbal where many Arabs playin the top teams, and in the national team. It just represents the big wart in Israel

that he needed to apologize. Nobody had commented when I had posted my comment asking for thoughts. This seems especially disappointing when all of Israel rejoiced in the young Arab Israeli gentleman being a finalist in the worldwide competition. Forgive my ignorance, Beitar is an area of Jerusalem where people often express these feelings? It would seem that to deliberately isolate and separate people when there are genuine opportunities to share and reach common goals is imposing an injustice on everybody, including their own children. The world does not get safer staying away from each other and instilling that sense of distrust generation after generation. Sports, music, education brings people together. Those opportunites are too valuable to miss, much less forbid and punish those who champion them. I wish he had stood by his original remark.

They must not be allowed to play in subsidized pitches. They are a disgrace. .

for someone to say it's a media distortion, that it's just some wild weeds, that we should be proud and anyone who isn't is a left-wing, arab-loving, self-defeating... whatever. time to fold up the game-board, turn out the lights and go back to where we all came from. we seem to have forgotten why a state was established - a jewish people, a nation identified by their beliefs... (oh wait, isn't kill 'em all & kick 'em all out part of our beliefs?...)

Are ANY arab or islamic country teams being penalized for racism (by fifa or any other sport organization) for not EVER allowing ANY Jewish athletes on their teams? Jews have been ethnically cleansed from nearly ALL of these nations but even if they were allowed to live amongst these racist people they would NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS be allowed to play in any sport for the countries that they lived in. The double standard by those criticizing Beitar is sickening, as per usual for apologists of evil.

beitar doesn't deserve to have an Arab player. I would hope that no Arab player could lower himself to their level.

Becasue he was going against the spirit of zionism!!!!

I don't know where you live in Israel, but this doesn'trepresent the Israel I know, or the people (Jews and Arabs) that I mix with. There is racism in all countries and it stinks inall countries, especially amongst soccer fans. We've seen race riots in US, UK and France in recent years. What the hell are you talking about "turn out the lights.."?. That's just the usual garbage from our enemies like some of the posters here who because of a political decision they don't like, or some idiot Israelis like here, so the whole country has no right to exist. Try looking for the good in this country. There is plenty of it. http://www.israel21c.org/

Counter a crime with a crime? Or, if somebody somewhere kills somebody, a counter-killing is totally right? And the worst irony is - I imagine you are among people who think of Arabs as savages because they actually IMPLEMENT your philosophy.

If you look closely the world of football you will see that it is searing with racism and chauvinism. The myth of "football connecting the world" is just that - myth. But there is also a myth that we are different than goyim - and that can plainly be seen in spheres of racism. This is mere an example.

I can't wait to see him run for office, I bet members of the kneset already approached him for a position.

Your argument would be good if there was a 20% Jewish population in any of the countries you mentioned. But, there is not. In most countries there are only hundreds left out of a total population of millions. So, therefore your logic is incorrect.

Tennisser , Shachar Peer , to play was fined by the WTA . They apologised and confirmed that everyone on the WTA tour would be allowed to play in the future

Why don't they just finally come out of the closet and admit that this is an apartheid state. The light onto the nations is becoming a curse onto itself. As Beitar participates in UEFA they should be penalized similar to Italian clubs who have racist supporters. This is unacceptable.

"In what other country" you ask.? How about in every Arab/Muslim country. 1/2 of the Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia don't allow non muslims to own land. Almost as many Arab countries don't allow minorities like Jews and Christians to build their houses of worse ship on "Muslim land" even though jews and christians have roots their as well. Stop being a hypocrite. I don't support Beitar fans but stop making it seem like Beitar fans represent all of Israel, it's just one of many Israeli soccer clubs, most Israeli soccer fans don't care of Arabs play on their team. Not too long ago your precious Montreal Canadians only allowed French Canadians to play on their team. Why don't you worry about your own country

especially when stated by a team captain. Brings back the warm and fuzzy memories of Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, and Hank Aaron. Baruchyan should feel shame at both his decision and his response to the so-called fans.

Then how come they import players from Spain, France, Argentina and Ghana? Face it - Beitar is a team that specifically hates Arabs. I am deeply disappointed that a role model like Baruchyan (and earlier - Ben Shushan, another leading Beitar player) chooses to align himself with these arsim and their hateful ideology. This team is just as scummy as Lazio or Feyenoord.

No Arabs should play on the same field as Jews. I'm glad he came to his senses and apologized.

It's up to Israel to decide if it want to live to western democracy standards as it claims it self, or to Saudia Arabia and Iran standards, if you decide the latter, don't come and tell you're a democracy

Because Beitar fans freely accept players from all colors and denominations, including black ones from Africa (Derek Boateng from Ghana even promised to wave the Beitar flag in the World Cup), and I imagine they would also accept Muslim players from non-Arab countries. The only thing they object to is Arabs, but that is not a distinct race, but a nationality of people. Thus this may count as hateful bigotry, which I object to, but no 'racism' per-se is involved.

Are you nuts, because that was not the point, through our condemnation of the racist action of one person, we don't condone it elsewhere either. Beitar definitely doesn't represent the whole of Israel, but the politics of the fans can not be seen in isolation to the politics of the region. There is no surprise that there will be many racists (and there are) in Israel, considering it's government's sending of working class Jewish people to oppress and de-humanise other people on the basis of the colour of their skin. Likewise with racism in Britain, and the British media and state's attack on 'Muslims'.

I already told my son I would never accept Beitar support in my house and I told him why. (That seems to be my neighbours shtick.) Luckily, he has a total non-interest in the league and is a Liverpool fan. But that.....is another drama..... The new "owner" (moneyman) of Beitar had a chance to right some wrongs when he took over the team....but he has blown his chance with his silence. Why doesn't the European league ban J'lm from international competition? For that matter, why do Celtic and Rangers still get away with religious isolationism? After this week, all I can say is, what a joke football has become.