Milan, 6 August (LaPresse) – Fortuna Düsseldorf, a German second division club, has decided to forego the possible signing of Israeli striker Shon Weissman and has announced this publicly on social media. ‘We have carefully evaluated Shon Weissman, but in the end we have decided not to sign him,’ the club wrote on X. Although the club has not confirmed it, according to the German press, the decision to drop Weissman (who also had a brief spell at Salernitana) is linked to protests by fans opposed to the signing of the 29-year-old Israeli international striker. A petition was also launched on the ‘change.org’ platform to prevent his signing. The protests refer in particular to Weissman's statements in relation to the Gaza war, following the attack by the terrorist organisation Hamas against Israel on 7 October 2023. According to the German tabloid Bild, the striker had previously written posts in support of the Israeli army, with phrases such as “wipe Gaza off the map” and “drop 200 tonnes of bombs” on Palestinian territory. He later removed these posts from his social media profiles. After the failed transfer to Düsseldorf, Weissman himself spoke out on social media. ‘I accept all criticism, but I regret that the full context was not taken into account,’ Weissman wrote in a detailed statement on Instagram. He said he would not allow himself to be portrayed as someone who incites hatred.