Tottenham fans pay tribute to freed Israeli hostage Emily Damari

From Spurs to Maccabi Tel Aviv, soccer clubs in Israel and abroad share heartfelt tributes and powerful gestures after release of hostages from Gaza

Eitan Glikman|
The world of soccer continues to celebrate the return of the three Israeli hostagesRomi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. The excitement extends beyond Israeli teams, with international clubs also expressing their solidarity.
British club Tottenham Hotspur and its fans have shared several tributes in honor of Damari, a known supporter of the team. On Sunday, the club’s official account on X (formerly Twitter) congratulated her on her release as the news broke.
Former Tottenham player Ramon Vega, who played for the team between 1997 and 2001 and made 23 appearances for the Swiss national team, also commented on Damari’s return. Following Tottenham’s 3-2 loss to Everton, the 53-year-old Swiss player wrote on X: "At least one positive thought today from the Spurs family! Welcome home, Emily. COYS Spurs!"
Tottenham fans have shown their support for Damari in various ways. Last November, ahead of a home game against Aston Villa, fans held demonstrations and sang in her honor. In partnership with the Stop Hate charity group, they placed about 2,000 stickers, hung posters and tied hundreds of yellow ribbons around the club’s home stadium.
During a League Cup home match against Manchester United last month, fans waved yellow balloons in her honor—a gesture they repeated just last week during an away match against Arsenal.
In Israel, Maccabi Tel Aviv also celebrated Damari’s return. "Our Emily is back home!" the team wrote on social media. "For 471 days, we waited and prayed for your return, and today our hearts are filled with joy to have you back with us, along with Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher."
Former Maccabi Tel Aviv player Yonatan Cohen, who now plays in Australia, shared his personal connection to Damari’s story: "After the cursed day of October 7, when Emily was taken, her family reached out to me and told me about her—her joy for life, her strength and the light she brought everywhere she went. Her story deeply touched me, and since that day, I’ve been in regular contact with her family. Emily has been on my mind constantly."
Cohen continued: "For every match, in every stadium, I wore a shirt with her picture on it, and I prayed every day that she would return to her beloved family. With every goal and every happy moment, I wished in my heart for her to smile her big smile again. When we moved to Australia, I packed her shirt with me, and I’ve been waiting ever since for the day she would become a symbol of our victory."
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אמילי דמארי עם צעיף של טוטנהאם
אמילי דמארי עם צעיף של טוטנהאם
Emily with a Spurs scarf
(Photo: X)
At 8 p.m. on Monday, Hapoel Haifa will hold a ceremony before their league match against M.S. Ashdod to honor the return of the three hostages. The club highlighted Romi Gonen, a fan of the team, who had been honored in previous matches. Before every game, the players took to the field wearing shirts that read, "Romi is coming home," and the club frequently hosted her family. The club also issued a season ticket in Romi’s name.
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"The club will hold a ceremony tonight before the match against M.S. Ashdod to mark the return of Romi Gonen, along with Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. A video of the emotional moments from their return will be shown on the screen. Players from both teams will take to the field with yellow balloons and release them in a gesture of hope for the return of the remaining hostages still held by Hamas," the club wrote. "Romi Gonen, Hapoel Haifa fan, your season ticket for the 2024-2025 season is already waiting for you at home."
Additionally, there will be a tribute to fallen IDF soldier Staff Sergeant Yahav Hadar, from Kfar Tavor, who fell in Gaza last week. Players will take to the field wearing shirts emblazoned with a picture of Hadar, a relative of the club’s owner, Yoav Katz.
Maccabi Haifa also celebrated the return of Doron Steinbrecher, a devoted fan of the team. "The most emotional welcome in the history of the club—our Doron is back home," the club wrote. "The club is moved to tears by the return of Doron Steinbrecher, a fan of the team, from Hamas captivity. Doron was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7. For over a year and three months, the club has supported her family and the families of all the hostages who are fans of the team. Doron’s father, Roni, has been a devoted supporter of the team for decades and passed on the ‘green fever’ to Doron. He never took off his green scarf, whether at the Hostages’ Square or anywhere else he went."
"In the last derby match, Yamit, Doron’s sister, and Yarden, Romi Gonen’s sister, presented the match ball to the referee. Today, both of them are home."
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