Not a single case of organised racist chanting was observed in 2018 by fans of Beitar Jerusalem, the football club whose fans developed a reputation for their infamous trademark “Death to Arabs” chant.
The record has been hailed as a breakthrough for the campaign to eliminate racism from Israeli football.
For successive seasons Beitar’s fans scored bottom in “Fairness Index” figures compiled by Kick It Out Israel (KIO), an anti-racism campaign run by the New Israel Fund.
But over the years, major progress has been made in combating the Beitar fans’ behaviour. A combination of media exposure and educational efforts, new legislation outlawing racist chants with subsequent arrests, and convictions, and penalties imposed on the club by the Israel Football Association have all had their effect.
In the 2016-2017 season, a new record low 35 cases of racist chanting was recorded by Beitar fans and last season the figure was halved to just 17.
KIO Israel observers increasingly reported Beitar fans silencing supporters who started chanting. Most importantly, the club itself has worked to stamp out racism.
Beitar’s new owner Moshe Hogeg, a billionaire in high tech, has also committed himself to eliminating the darker reputation after buying the club at the start of the season, when he discussed the damage to the club’s reputation with fans.
On the pitch, Beitar is languishing in the bottom half of Israel’s Premier League, but Mr Hogeg reacted enthusiastically to KIO’s findings.
“This is our biggest achievement at Beitar since I joined. I’m proud of the fans and very happy,” he said.
Itzik Shanan, KIO’s executive chairman, admitted he was pleasantly surprised by this season’s breakthrough at Beitar: “We welcome the work being done by Beitar’s management and we have certainly felt a new atmosphere at the club and determination to stamp out racism.
“This is a process that has been going on for a few years but there is still no room for complacency.
“We must remember that Beitar is still the only club in Israel never to have signed an Arab player.”
