UAE royal Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Nahyan buys stake in controversial Israeli club Beitar Jerusalem

Jerusalem: Israel’s Beitar Jerusalem football club, which has gained notoriety for never having an Arab player on its roster, announced on Monday that an Emirati investor has purchased a 50 percent stake in the team. The team said that Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, a member of the United Arab Emirates royal family, has pledged to invest 300 million shekels, or about $90 million, into the club over the next decade. In a statement released by the team, Moshe Hogeg, owner of Beitar, said the deal represented “new days of coexistence, achievements and brotherhood.” Al Nahyan said he was thrilled to be a partner in a “glorious club.” He also referred to Jerusalem as the “the capital of Israel,” despite Palestinian claims to the eastern part of the city. “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,” he said.