A Turkish football club announced this Thursday (18) that it had fired Israeli player Eden Kartsev for having asked on social media, last Sunday (14), for the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 terrorist attacks.
The club justified the decision on the basis that the player's comment “contradicts Turkish sensitivity”. “As a result of the disciplinary process carried out by our club, a financial fine was imposed on the player, in accordance with the club's disciplinary regulations, and it was considered appropriate for the player to continue his career abroad,” it said in a statement.
According to the text, Eden Kartsev had been warned on Sunday about the situation and on Monday (15) he was summoned to present his defense before the club's disciplinary committee, although he had already withdrawn the message.
Kartsev's post on his personal Instagram account reproduced a message from the Zionist Federation of Australia that read: “100 days. 136 Israelis have been in captivity of the terrorist group Hamas for 100 days. Bring them back immediately.”
Although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to mediate diplomatic efforts to free the hostages, the president also emphasized that he does not consider Hamas a terrorist group, but a patriotic group defending its territory.
Kartsev, 23, played for several Israeli clubs and signed a contract with the Turkish club in January 2023.
Another Israeli player, Sagiv Jehezkel, was suspended from his club last Monday (15) and briefly detained for celebrating a goal by displaying an armband with the message “100 days” and the date October 7, a reference to the attack of Hamas. Jehezkel returned to Israel on a private plane the same day, and the Turkish regional newspaper Yeni Asir reported yesterday that Kartsev would also travel to Israel soon.
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