A Turkish court yesterday released pending trial an Israeli soccer player who was detained after displaying a message referring to the Israel-Hamas war during a first division match, Demiroren News Agency (DHA) reported.
Sagiv Jehezkel, 28, displayed a bandage on his wrist reading “100 days. 07/10” next to the Star of David while celebrating scoring a goal for Antalyaspor against Trabzonspor on Sunday.
Turkish prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation over Jehezkel’s alleged “incitement to hate,” and his club tore up the player’s contract for “exhibiting behavior that goes against our country’s sensitivities.”
Photo: AP
In testimony to the police, Jehezkel said he “did not intend to provoke anyone. I am not a pro-war person,” the private Demiroren News Agency reported.
The message on the bandage referred to the 100 days of the Israel-Hamas war commemorated on Sunday, and the hostages held since Palestinian militants killed about 1,140 people and abducted about 250 others in an attack in October last year.
In retaliation, Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and launched a relentless military campaign that has killed at least 23,968 people in the Palestinian territory, mostly women and children, Gaza’s health ministry says.
Jehezkel’s display of the Star of David — the official symbol on the Israeli flag — clashed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s harsh condemnation of Israel’s military actions and support for the Palestinian cause.
The player said he never intended to get involved in politics and was careful to respect Turkish cultural sensitivities since signing with the Mediterranean coast club in September last year.
“After all, there are also Israeli soldiers taken prisoner in Gaza. I am someone who believes that this 100-day period should end now. I want the war to end. That’s why I showed the sign,” he reportedly told the police.
“I am someone who has nothing to do with politics. Since my arrival, I have not done anything related to politics,” he said. “Since the day I arrived, I have never disrespected anyone. The point I wanted to draw attention to was the end of the war.”
Antalyaspor said it fired Jehezkel for having “acted against the values of our country.”
“Our board will never allow behaviour against the sensitivities of our country no matter it costs championship or trophy,” it wrote on X.
The Turkish Football Federation also condemned “the completely unacceptable behavior,” calling Antalyaspor’s decision to exclude the player from its team “appropriate.”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to