The transfer of an Israeli soccer star to an Italian Serie A team has sparked controversy among local politicians and sports enthusiasts in Tuscany.
On Friday, as 26-year-old winger Manor Solomon was undergoing medical tests in Florence to finalize his transfer on loan (with an option to purchase) from Tottenham Hotspur to ACF Fiorentina, a local politician took to Facebook to express his displeasure.
“YOU ARE NOT WELCOME IN FLORENCE,” wrote Jacopo Madau, secretary of the local branch of the hard-left party Sinistra Italiana, who also serves as the culture councilor in the municipal council of Sesto Fiorentino, a 50,000-resident town on the outskirts of Florence.
“The arrival of Israeli soccer player Solomon at Fiorentina has just been made official,” he continued in the post. “Anyone who has never hidden their support for [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s genocidal policies is not welcome in Florence and cannot represent our city and Fiorentina.”
Just hours later, the club announced that Solomon was officially a Fiorentina player, after his previous stints at Maccabi Petah Tikva, Shakhtar Donetsk, Leeds, Fulham and Villareal, collecting 30 Champions League and Europa League appearances, according to Fiorentina’s website.
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Meanwhile, Madau’s words had already shifted a great deal of attention from sports to politics.
Dario Nardella, the outgoing mayor of Florence, Italy, presents his successor Sara Funaro during a Tour de France-related event overlooking the city’s skyline on June 27, 2024. (Andrea Martini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The local representatives of the right and center-right parties sitting in Florence’s municipal council published a joint message condemning Madau’s statement, describing it as “full of hatred” and asking for his resignation.
“The attacks from the left against Jewish soccer player Manor Solomon testify to a deep social evil,” MP Isabella De Monte, from the Forza Italia center-right party, wrote on X on Saturday. “It is intolerable that a Sinistra Italiana councilor, Jacopo Madau, would call to protest against a professional, simply because he is Israeli.”
A statement by Florence’s Culture Councilor Benedetta Albanese on behalf of Mayor Sara Funaro, who is Jewish, and her governing coalition said that “the administration and Mayor Funaro’s position on the war between Israel and Palestine has long been clear and strong: We stand for peace, against the Netanyahu government’s violation of human rights in Palestine, and in favor of two peoples and two states.”
“Let’s leave sports out of all this; sports should unite, not divide,” Albanese added, as reported by La Repubblica.
Fiorentina and the major fan organizations did not speak on the matter. However, the controversy also exploded on social media, with thousands of people commenting in support of or against Solomon on the Fiorentina official Facebook page’s numerous posts celebrating his arrival (the comments on most posts about other topics are usually in the hundreds).
On Saturday, Madau reaffirmed his position, adding that he had received insults and even death threats on social media following his statement.
On October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing close to 1,200 people and kidnapping 251, Solomon was in England, working to recover from an injury.
“These are not simple days,” Solomon told the Hebrew outlet Ynet site in December 2023. “I think I’m experiencing it like everyone else, just that I am outside of Israel. Sometimes, it even feels a bit harder, especially in the beginning. These days are truly terrible. Every day, you just look at the news and your phone, and the television is on all the time to see what’s happening. We all hope that all the hostages will return and that there won’t be any more losses for us.”
He participated in several initiatives to support hostage families and advocate for the hostages’ return, including in events hosted by the Israeli embassy in London.
During the 2024-2025 season, Solomon was on loan at the second-division English team Leeds and helped secure its promotion to the Premier League. For the first half of the current season, he played for Villareal in the Spanish Liga, where, at times, he also encountered some backlash.
In his first interview for Fiorentina, shared on the club’s website, Solomon said he was very excited to join the team and focused on the season’s goal, avoiding relegation (Fiorentina is currently bottom of the Serie A table).
“I’m really happy to be here. As soon as I saw the place, I saw the people, I got really, really excited,” he said. “I wanted to come here and try to help the team. I know it’s a great club.
“I know the club is in a difficult moment,” he added. “I’m sure we can do it.”
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