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Israel's First Arab Soccer Superstar Tells His Story

Rifaat Turk, Israel’s first Arab soccer superstar, who paved the way for dozens of Arab players, tells Shlomi Eldar about the racism and challenges he has faced.
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“I don’t believe that there is a single player on the football field anywhere in the world who suffered from racism like I did,” said Rifaat “Jimmy” Turk last week when we met at the Babai restaurant overlooking the beach in his hometown of Jaffa.

It was right here on this beach that Turk began the career that made him a top-ranked soccer star. Turk no longer remembers the person’s name, but a fan of HaPo’el Tel Aviv saw him dribbling a ball along the beach with his friends and invited him for a training session with the team. He kept inviting him until Turk agreed to go, and the rest is history.

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