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.”
Taiwan’s top male badminton player, Chou Tien-chen, on Saturday bowed out in the men’s singles semi-finals at the Thailand Open after losing in straight games to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn. The world No. 6 Chou, seeded fourth at the Super 500 tournament, lost to the world No. 2 Thai 21-7, 21-19 in 53 minutes. The victory improved Vitidsarn’s head-to-head record against Chou to 3-5. Chou, 36, trailed throughout the opening game after the score was tied 2-2. His relatively passive approach allowed the 25-year-old Thai to capitalize on Chou’s defensive clears with powerful smashes while committing few unforced errors. The Taiwanese
FRUSTRATION: Gauff smacked herself on the head with her racket before storming down the tunnel, emerging afterward to have a heated discussion with her coach Elina Svitolina on Saturday won the Italian Open after beating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 to claim her third Rome title, while Jannik Sinner set a date with Casper Ruud in the men’s final. Ukraine’s Svitolina had not claimed a WTA 1000 title since her last victory at the Foro Italico eight years ago, but prevailed over the ever-erratic Gauff to claim her 20th tournament triumph. Saturday’s win over Gauff was her third in a row against a player in the top four of the world rankings — including Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina — ahead of the French
West Ham United’s 3-1 defeat at Newcastle United on Sunday left Tottenham Hotspur realistically only needing one more point to win the battle for English Premier League survival, while Bruno Fernandes made history in Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest. Spurs can avoid dropping out of the English top flight for the first time in nearly 50 years with victory at Chelsea today, but a draw would also likely suffice thanks to their much superior goal-difference over West Ham. “Overall bad performance. Too many things [went wrong], I think we gifted them the goals,” West Ham head caoch Nuno Espirito Santo
MLB is experiencing an epidemic of guys being dudes. At ballparks all across the US, groups consisting of mostly young men are joining in on the “Tarps Off” trend that is loud, goofy, infectious and new to the baseball world. Joining in on the fun is simple: Go to the section where the party is happening, take off your shirt and start twirling it above your head. Soccer-like chants or singing usually follow — injecting a jolt of energy for a sport that is occasionally chided for its lack of energy inside the stadium. After getting its start in St Louis, Missouri, on
RSS