Israeli national team striker Shon Weissman was set to join Fortuna Düsseldorf’s morning training session on Tuesday after passing medical tests the previous evening, but the German second-division club abruptly barred him from participating and canceled his contract hours later.
The decision followed intense backlash from local fans over Weissman’s social media activity after the October 7 Hamas massacre. “I’m stunned. I came to Germany to join the team, agreed to apologize and they still canceled the contract,” Weissman told close friends.
Düsseldorf had finalized Weissman’s transfer from Granada for €500,000, agreeing on a three-year contract worth €600,000 per season. The club worked with Weissman and his agent, Boaz Goren, to address his post-October 7 social media activity, including likes and comments supporting extreme actions, such as calls to “erase Gaza” and statements claiming “there are no innocents” there.
An apology, both written and verbal, was planned to mitigate potential fan hostility in Düsseldorf, where one-fifth of the population is Muslim. However, late Monday, after news of the agreement spread, fan protests escalated, prompting the club to reconsider.
Though the club initially defended Weissman on X, saying: “Judging someone you don’t know based on a Wikipedia entry? That’s not our way,” it later held an emergency meeting and informed Weissman and Goren by 1:00 p.m. German time that his contract was voided due to his “extreme statements.”
Weissman’s agent, Boaz Goren, defended him on X, clarifying that “Shon didn’t post on October 8. He liked a few posts, commented on a photo and deleted everything five minutes later on his own accord.” Goren refuted claims that Weissman called for “dropping 200 tons of bombs on Gaza,” attributing the quote to Omer Meiri.
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“Shon takes full responsibility for the incident. He says mistakes have a price and only wants to play soccer,” Goren added, warning: “Any Israeli thinking this only harms Shon will be surprised how quickly it reaches them.”
Weissman faces challenges shared by other Israeli players struggling to integrate into European clubs amid global tensions, though German clubs like Bayern Munich, Dortmund, Werder Bremen and Hertha Berlin have previously supported Israel and its hostages.
Financially secure with his existing Granada contract, signed two years ago for €3.5 million, Weissman’s prospects for finding another club before the transfer window closes this month are dim due to the global attention on his controversial posts.