German second-tier club Fortuna Düsseldorf has reversed its decision to sign Israeli striker Shon Weissman, following a wave of backlash from fans over his past social media comments related to the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
The 29-year old who was on the verge of completing a move from Spanish side Granada CF, had already arrived in Düsseldorf and passed a medical. However, the deal was pulled at the last moment, with the club posting a brief statement on Tuesday:
“We looked into Shon Weissman intensively, but ultimately decided not to sign him,” the statement read.
While Fortuna Düsseldorf refrained from explicitly citing reasons, German tabloid Bild reported that the abrupt U-turn stemmed from widespread fan anger over Weissman’s controversial posts made during the early stages of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The striker — capped 33 times for Israel — had shared and liked inflammatory content in the past. According to Bild, his posts included calls to “wipe Gaza off the map” and a chilling endorsement of bombing the enclave without warning, stating “there are no innocents [in Gaza].”
Although Weissman later deleted the posts and admitted they were made in emotional distress, the damage had been done. Fortuna Düsseldorf supporters quickly mobilized, launching an online petition to oppose his signing. The petition described his remarks as “disrespectful and discriminatory,” and inconsistent with the club’s values.
Fan backlash in German football is no trivial matter. Under the country’s 50+1 rule — which ensures that club members hold the majority voting rights — supporters have a direct influence on key decisions, including player recruitment.
Weissman had already experienced protests from fans during his stint at Granada, where he joined in January 2023. Bild also reported that Fortuna Düsseldorf and Weissman had been preparing a joint apology, intended for release after the signing became official — but the move was shelved before it could reach that stage.
While supporters of German clubs have raised their voices for Palestinians, the clubs have tried to refrain from the politics of the issue. Mainz terminated Dutch-Moroccan forward Anwar El Ghazi in 2023 over his pro-Palestine posts before El Ghazi later won a wrongful dismissal case in court. Meanwhile, former Bayern Munich defender and current Manchester United player Noussair Mazraoui had to issue a public apology after sharing content supporting Palestinians.
At a time when football clubs have called out Israel over its draconian actions against Palestine, Fortuna Düsseldorf’s move to listen to their fans and walk away from the Weissman deal is another clear example of how fan sentiment and global politics are increasingly shaping the modern football landscape — even in the transfer market.
