by Supporters Direct

Beitar Nordia (re)born in Jerusalem

The stands of Israeli club Beitar Jerusalem have, for some time, been dominated by an extreme far-right, violent and racist minority of ‘supporters’.

Discriminatory, racist and abusive behavior and chanting is common at Beitar Jerusalem’s matches, and this group manages to also influence the club, up to and including its owner.

This situation has been the reason Beitar Jerusalem stands are emptier every year, as the majority of the fans are fleeing the stadium having decided the club no longer represents their culture and beliefs. After a few failed attempts to clear the club management and the stands from the extremists, a group of Beitar Jerusalem supporters, inspired by the efforts of another fan owned club in Israel, Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem, decided to start a new club under the values and ideals Beitar Jerusalem has historically represented.

The name of the new club is “Beitar Nordia“, the original name of Beitar Jerusalem. Having received the moral support of Israel’s new president and former Beitar Jerusalem General Manager Reuven Rivlin, Beitar Nordia have already differentiated themselves from Beitar Jerusalem by signing an Arab player.

“We are Zionists and love our country” says Dr. Itsik Alfasi, one of the founders of Nordia and continues “We want to mix our love for our country with universal values. We believe that human beings are equal and every religion, race and gender should be respected. We loved our team with every beat of our hearts but the racists took over the club. Because of them we were ashamed of Beitar”.

Beitar Nordia, just like Israel’s other newly founded fan-owned club Hapoel Rubi Shapira and 25 more supporters’ trusts, organisations and initiatives, is a member of Israfans, the national umbrella organisation for democratic supporters groups in Israel and affiliate of Supporters Direct Europe.