Takeover of Beitar Jerusalem, if it happens, could be game changer

• Date: 07 January 2021
• Published date: 07 January 2021
• Author: PEGGY CIDOR
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Beitar Jerusalem had its glory days on the game field, but even though this glory has dimmed over the years, Beitar Jerusalem has always been and still is a potent symbol, regardless of its achievements on the field. It has long had a special place among the football clubs in the country

Something has, nevertheless, changed over the years. For many politicians – who once were enthusiastic supporters of the club, the growing specter of racist sentiments and comments, mostly regarding Arab players on rival clubs, became too much. One after the other, prominent politicians among the club's supporters began to distance themselves from the club, fearing that the scent of racism might extend to them.

Former mayor Ehud Olmert was an active Beitar Jerusalem fan with a seat in the venerable gallery at Teddy Stadium, but his successor, Uri Lupolianski was not. Even Nir Barkat, who followed sports, was not considered an active supporter. Mayor Moshe Lion has more than once expressed his rejection of the racist slogans sometimes heard at the stadium, but would no doubt like to see Beitar Jerusalem regain its past glory and is not involved beyond that.

As money is key to enabling a club to attract top players and dominate a league, club owner Moshe Hogeg has felt for a while that it was time to find an active investor to revive the club. Beitar, like other sports clubs in Jerusalem, gets some financial support from the municipality, but not enough to be a game...