Emirati sheikh buys half of Jerusalem's ultranationalist Beitar

The Beitar of Jerusalem, the most famous club in Israel, will now have an Arab owner. Moshe Hogeg, until now the owner of the team, has sold half of his shares to Hamad bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family in an operation that should open a new economic and sporting horizon for the team. Beitar is the most famous club, but not the most successful in Israel. Identified with the nationalist right, a faction of his hobby, the ultra-self-styled La Familia. has starred in several episodes of racist overtones towards Arabs, becoming almost a more ultra-nationalist apparatus. That is why this alliance with the Arab world opens a new scenario. On August 13, the peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel was signed. The Emirati federal monarchy became the third Arab country, after Jordan and Egypt, to sign this agreement with an enemy of years.

The arrival of Emirati capital in Beitar, a symbol of the rejection of the Arab, may open a new horizon in relations. Not without difficulties, of course. La Familia, the ultra group, has not seen it favorably, although most of its fans have given the go-ahead. And it is that the signed sale agreement underlines that the Emirati investment should be about 80 million euros in the next ten years, according to reports from Jerusalem. Hamad bin Khalifa Al Nahyan has appointed one of his sons as a delegate to share with the former Beitar estate the strategy to follow. During the last days the environment has not been easy to deal with, as explained in the local press. Hogeg has come under pressure from The Family to back down. Even this week, a group of extremists showed up at the team's training to demand that the signature not be given. But for Moshe Hogeg this is not something new. Since he bought the club he has tried, as far as possible, to fight against the anti-Arab spirit of the club, despite having the ultra group against him. “It is a historic day for the Beitar Jerusalem,” explained the excited leader after closing the agreement.