The Beitar Jerusalem Football Club and owner Moshe Hogeg announced Monday that they have formed a partnership with Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Nahyan from the United Arab Emirates. The Sheikh, who is part of the Royal Family, acquired 50% ownership of the club after a long negotiation process and has committed to invest over 300 Million Shekels over the course of the next decade.<\/p>\n
Beitar Jerusalem, a team that has been mired for decades in controversy due to never having had an Arab player in their ranks along with their allegedly racist fans will now have an Arab as their owner. However, the injection of much needed funds into the club may be able to take the team and possibly the entire league into a new chapter of prosperity and success.<\/p>\n
The move comes on the heels of the the Israel\u2013United Arab Emirates normalization agreement which has seen the borders of the UAE open to Israeli businesses including the sports sector.<\/p>\n
On the eve of Hanukkah, Beitar\u2019s menorah is lit in a new and exciting light,\u201d stated Moshe Hogeg following the signing of the agreement. \u201cTogether, we all march the club to new days of coexistence, achievements and brotherhood for the sake of our club, community and Israeli sports.\u201d<\/p>\n
The funds will be used primarily for infrastructure investment, growing the youth academy as well as acquiring players for future development. A brand new board of directors will be established and will include the Shiekh\u2019s son, Mohamed bin Hamad bin Khalifa who will be his representative in everything related to the club.<\/p>\n
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Nahyan shared Hogeg\u2019s enthusiasm, \u201cI am thrilled to be a partner in such a glorious club that I have heard so much of and in such a great city, the capital of Israel and one of the holiest cities in the world. I have heard a lot about the change taking place in the club and the way things are going, and I am happy to take part in that. We will put together a team that will strive for the highest and greatest accomplishments possible, out of a desire to see Beitar Jerusalem reach the biggest stages there are in soccer. Yalla Beitar!\u201d<\/p>\n
Jewish-Emirati businessman Naum Koen, chairman of the NY Koen Group, negotiated the deal between the Sheikh and Beitar Jerusalem. “This is a very exciting moment,\u201d he said. \u201cWe already see today how peace between leaders seeps in and is translated into real peace between two nations. This deal is going to promote Beitar Jerusalem in the European arena, making it a club that will compete with the best teams in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSince signing the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, we have been involved in a number of negotiations between Israeli companies and businesses in the UAE. We hope that today\u2019s signing will give a boost to encourage many more businesses agreements between the two countries,\u201d added Koen.<\/p>\n
The Israel Football Association Chairman Oren Hasson also congratulated Beitar Jerusalem and owner Moshe Hogeg on the achievement that will see borders being further broken down with the Arab world, \u201cThis deal shows that football can be a wonderful bridge between people and promote coexistence. This is great news for Beitar and its fans that will guarantee a promising future for the club in the upcoming years.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Beitar Jerusalem Football Club and owner Moshe Hogeg announced Monday that they have formed a partnership with Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Nahyan from the United Arab Emirates. The Sheikh, who is part of the Royal Family, acquired 50% ownership of the club after a long negotiation process and has committed to invest over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":23427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[55,56],"class_list":["post-23426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football-israel-2","tag-beitar-jerusalem","tag-moshe-hogeg","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n