Now politics invades the pitch

A member of the Emirati royal family has bought a 50 per cent stake in an Israeli premier league club, the latest deal to emerge from a treaty struck by the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Nahyan signed the deal with Beitar Jerusalem, a controversial club that has never signed an Arab player and has battled with a reputation for antiMuslim racism.

“I am thrilled to be a partner in such a glorious club that I have heard so much of and in such a great city, the capital of Israel and one of the holiest cities in the world,” Hamad said.

The reference to Jerusalem as the “capital” of Israel is noteworthy as the city is claimed by both the Israelis and the Palestinians as their own, and is one of the biggest sources of tension.

A spokesman for the club said that Beitar would set up a new board of directors and that Hamad’s son would represent him on it. The Sheikh has also pledged to invest 300 million shekels ($131m) in the club over the next 10 years.

The purchase is the latest deal made possible by the Abraham Accords, an agreement to end hostilities between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain.

According to the Times of Israel, Beitar is “known for its long history of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment”, and has never had an Arab player. It is hugely popular among Israeli right-wingers and the far-right football fan group La Familia. The club, which was founded in 2005, has been repeatedly condemned by senior Israeli politicians.