A photo of Israeli soccer player Sagiv Jehezkel’s goal celebration, from a now-deleted social media post by Turkish club Antalyaspor. Credit – X
Turkey is investigating an Israeli professional soccer player for the Turkish soccer club Antalyaspor after he referenced the ongoing Israel-Hamas war during a match in the coastal city of Antalya on Sunday.
After scoring a goal against rivals Trabzonspor, Sagiv Jehezkel celebrated by showing to the cameras and crowd his bandaged wrist, which had “100 days,” a small Star of David, and “7.10” written on it—a reference to the number of days that Israeli hostages have been held captive by Hamas since the Palestinian militant group’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
Turkish justice minister Yilmaz Tunc said on Sunday that public prosecutors have launched an investigation into Jehezkel for “inciting the public to hatred and hostility.”
Jehezkel was reportedly detained by police for investigation as he was preparing to leave Turkey on Sunday night, according to Turkish media.
The 28-year-old soccer player, also a member of the Israel national team, joined Antalyaspor in September. The contract he signed then was set to run until June 2026, but now the club has said that he has been suspended from the team and may even have his contract terminated.
Antalyaspor released a statement on X saying that Jehezkel had “acted against the national values of our country” and would be excluded from the team. “Our Board of Directors will never allow behavior against the sensitivities of our country, even if it results in a championship or a cup,” the statement said.
Sinan Boztepe, the club’s president, said in a separate statement on X that, while the club considers its players purely as athletes, “without discrimination of religion, language or race,” he did not approve of Jehezkel’s actions. “No one should doubt that I will do what is necessary from now on, just like today,” he wrote. He noted that the club had initially posted about Jehezkel’s goal on social media, but the post was “removed immediately after the issue was noticed.”
Boztepe told local media that Jehezkel’s contract would be terminated.
Turkey’s national football association also condemned Jehezkel’s behavior, which it described as “completely unacceptable.”
Israel’s former Prime Minister Naftali Bennet shared his support for the soccer player. “Shame on you, Turkish government,” he wrote in a post on X.
Turkey and Israel’s ties have been increasingly strained by the Israel-Hamas war. Jehezkel’s controversial goal celebration on Sunday came as Israelis called for the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza that were taken during Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, which killed some 1,100 people. The same day, pro-Palestinian demonstrators across the world marched to protest Israel’s ongoing military operation, which has killed over 22,000 Palestinians.
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