Munas Dabbur leaves TSG Hoffenheim and will play for Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai Football Club. It’s a notable move, as the Israeli was once denied entry to the Emirates.
In January 2017, Dabbur played for RB Salzburg. At the time, the Austrian series champion was planning a winter training camp in Dubai. The Salzburg residents assured that the application for a visa had been submitted on time. But there was none for Dabbur, the Israeli footballer.
2017: None entry permit to the UAE
It was assumed that Dabbur’s nationality meant that he was not issued a visa. Although Dabbur belongs to the Arab-Muslim minority in Israel, this did not help him to get permission to enter the United Arab Emirates.
The two countries did not have diplomatic relations at that time. That changed with an agreement signed in 2020 after US mediation. Since then, the two have maintained embassies in the other country, and relations have improved. An incident like 2017 seems impossible these days.
The now 31-year-old forward has played 40 caps for Israel. “For a long time he was considered a symbol of the participation of Muslims in the Jewish state,” wrote the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” in a preview of Israel’s friendly against Germany in Sinsheim in March 2022.
Instagram post causes concern
A good year earlier there was a big discussion about Dabbur in his home country. A post on Instagram was interpreted as supporting the radical Islamic terrorist organization Hamas. He was suspended for two games, and commentators and politicians even demanded that he should never be called up again.
But in March 2022, Dabbur played for Israel in the stadium where he has also played for TSG Hoffenheim since 2020. Overall, he played 84 Bundesliga games for TSG and scored 17 goals.
The contract was valid until 2024, but now he was drawn to Dubai. His new club welcomed the “international striker” via Twitter.