'A historic and exciting day for Beitar Jerusalem'

It was big news in Israel when Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Nahyan, a member of the United Arab Emirates’ royal family, concluded the purchase of a 50-percent stake in the Beitar Jerusalem soccer club on December 7.

“A historic and exciting day for Beitar Jerusalem,” the capital’s Israel Premier League team tweeted to its followers.

The deal was signed by the Israeli co-owner of the club, Moshe Hogeg, and Sheikh Bin Khalifa three months after Israel and the UAE established diplomatic ties via the Abraham Accords.

Perhaps now Beitar – which is infamous for its refusal to sign an Arab player and the anti-Arab chants of its hardcore fans, known as “La Familia” – can shed its racist image and become a model of Jewish-Muslim teamsmanship.

Beitar’s announcement quoted the sheikh as saying: “I am thrilled to be a partner in such a glorious club that I have heard so much about and in such a great city, the capital of Israel and one of the holiest cities in the world.” Pledging to invest 300 million shekels in the team over the next decade, he said that the deal represented “the fruits of peace and brotherhood between the nations” and would “bring people together through sport.” Saying he would strive to assemble the best team possible, he concluded with the fans’ famous chant, “Yalla, Beitar!” Hogeg said, “On the eve of Hanukkah, Beitar’s menorah is lit in a new and exciting light. Together, we all march the club to new days of coexistence, achievements and brotherhood for the sake of our club, community and Israeli sports.” Beitar received an award from President Reuven Rivlin in 2017 for its efforts to tackle racism and for reducing the number of racist chants at its games. Hogeg, a hi-tech entrepreneur, said after buying the team in 2018 that he planned to put it on a new path.

The sheikh’s son, Mohammed Bin Khalifa, was named vice chairman, responsible for “the professional side” of the club. At an online press conference, he said the funds invested by his father will be used to buy a few star  players and strengthen the team’s defense.

Foreign ownership of football clubs in England has proved to be very successful. Since the London club, Chelsea, was bought by Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2003, it has won 16 major trophies – the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League twice, the Premier League five times, the FA Cup five times and the League Cup three times.

If all goes well, Beitar – which has been struggling financially and on the field in recent years – can now return to its glory days after being injected with the much-needed funding from the UAE. Beitar won the Israeli Premier League six times, as well as seven Israeli Cup titles and two Israeli Supercups – in 1976 and 1986.

The club was founded in 1936 by Shmuel Kirschstein and David Horn, who chaired the so-called Beitar branch in Jerusalem, and several players were also members of the banned Irgun and Lehi groups associated with the Revisionist Zionism movement fighting to end the British Mandate.

Beitar players have traditionally worn yellow and black jerseys, playing home matches at Teddy Stadium (named after legendary Jerusalem mayor, Teddy Kollek). Its most extremist fans have protested at the club’s training ground and in the media against the UAE purchase.

The majority, however, welcomed the deal and the promised funding as heralding a new era. From now on, “Yalla, Beitar!” could very well become a chant associated with sportsmanship and coexistence.