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First Mohamed to play for Jerusalem soccer team results in racist reaction

The decision by Beitar Jerusalem owner Moshe Hogeg to hire Ali Mohamed to play for the team unleashed all the team’s racist demons, particularly among La Familia, the team’s infamously far-right fan club.
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The Beitar Jerusalem soccer team's signing a new player for next season would have mostly gone unnoticed under normal circumstances. This time, however, the story made the headlines throughout the country and even abroad. What made it front-page news was the new player’s name — Ali Mohamed — which flew in the face of the team’s most racist fans.

Some of these die-hard fans are members of a group called La Familia, known not only for their fanatical adulation of the team but also for their intense racism and hatred of Arabs, something they publicly admit. On occasion, these fans show up at games wearing the shirts of the far-right Kach movement. In August 2018, the leaders of La Familia met with Beitar owner Moshe Hogeg and made it perfectly clear to him that they would do everything they can to block any attempt to recruit Muslim players. In the past, they have shown up at games carrying huge placards and banners with chilling slogans such as "Beitar, Forever Pure."

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