Joint List MK Sami Abou Shahadeh – the Balad Party's sole representative in the Knesset – in cooperation with the fan group "Arab fans of Barcelona in Israel," sent an "urgent" letter on Thursday to FC Barcelona and the club's president, Joan Laporta, demanding that a match with the Israeli Football Club Beitar Jerusalem that is scheduled to take place in Jerusalem on August 4 be cancelled due to the club's fans' long history of racism towards Arabs and Muslims.
In his letter, Abou Shahadeh asked the Barcelona president to refrain from participating in this game, so as to not grant legitimacy to Beitar Jerusalem FC, which he referred to as a "racist club," adding that "most of its fans hold racist and even dangerous views against Arab citizens."
Abou Shahadeh also noted that the official Beitar-Jerusalem fan organization, La Familia, is an organization that routinely supports Jewish terrorism and that its members have taken part in the violent and racist attacks against Palestinian Arab citizens, "especially in recent months."
His letter added that "We will do everything we can, including exerting political, diplomatic and media pressure to cancel the game, which hurts the feelings of both Palestinian Barcelona fans in Israel and of Arabs around the world."
"The Beitar Jerusalem team is known for its racism and hostility towards Arab society, and the group's fans are proud to demonstrate their hatred and outrageous racism through racist chants against Arabs on the pitches," the letter concluded, adding that "Racism must be condemned, not given legitimacy and encouragement."
The team’s most hardcore fans have long been associated with the Israeli far-right, and it is known as the only team in Israel to never sign an Arab player.In May, three leaders of the La Familia fan club were banned from attending games in an attempt to curb racism and violence at matches.
Last year, Around 1,200 people joined Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg in demanding Defense Minister Benny Gantz designate La Familia as a terrorist organization, a move which failed to amount to any tangible action of the sort.
Forever Pure, a 2018 Israeli documentary by Maya Zinshtein about racism at the Jerusalem club, won the Emmy for outstanding politics and government documentary, after it premiered on PBS the previous year.
The film's plot focuses on Beitar Jerusalem’s 2012-2013 season, when then-owner Arkady Gaydamak brought two Muslim players from Chechnya on board – and the team’s fans were furious. Fans chanted racist slogans against the two players, threatened to kill the team’s chairman and stormed out of the stadium when one of the new players scored a goal.