DÜSSELDORF, Germany (AP) — The chairman of Fortuna Düsseldorf has defended the German soccer club’s decision to pull out of signing Israeli player Shon Weissman after fan backlash over his contentious social media posts about Gaza, and said it’s “absurd” to accuse the second-division team of antisemitism.

Düsseldorf announced Tuesday that it would not sign Weissman from Spanish team Granada despite having been in advanced negotiations.

Fans had opposed the planned signing of the 29-year-old Weissman because of his social media posts expressing support for Israel’s conduct in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Weissman’s Instagram account was set to “private” on Saturday.

In the social media post on Tuesday announcing the decision, the club did not s

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