The
official website for the UAE Pro League soccer team Al Ain now includes a
profile for the club’s newest member, Israeli midfielder Omer Atzili, who signed a
three-year contract with the team on Wednesday, but his nationality on the
website is listed as Romanian.
The
29-year-old was born in Israel but holds a Romanian passport that he obtained
in 2015, according to the Israeli publication Mako, which added that
Atzili is now the first Israeli Jew to play in the United Arab Emirates.
Some
Al Ain fans expressed dismay on social media after the team signed
the Israeli player and criticized the team’s attempts to mask Atzili’s Israeli
background.
“Al-Ain
does not tell you that it was an Israeli player who was signed and not
Romanian. Al-Ain’s shame continues,” an Emirates media outlet reported, as
cited by Mako.
Ahmed
Al Nuaimi, the president of the association against the normalization of
relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, was also quoted saying,
“Al-Ain is forcing its fans to cheer for a player they’ve never wanted. The
Israeli player will damage the image of the club.”
Atzili,
a two-time consecutive Israeli Footballer of the Year, signed with Al Ain for a
salary that is reportedly almost four times what he earned with his previous
team, Maccabi Haifa. The athlete, who also previously played for Beitar
Jerusalem, made some requirements in his contract related to his religious
observance and as a result he will be allowed to not play or train during some
Jewish holidays, including Yom Kippur, according to i24News.
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