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Moroccan footballer booed in Israel 'for pro-Palestine tweet

Moroccan PSG star booed by Israeli fans 'for pro-Palestine tweet' in Tel Aviv football game
Sports
1 min read
04 August, 2021
Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain FC was booed when he appeared on a pitch in Tel Aviv.
Paris Saint-Germain FC was booed [Getty]

A pro-Palestine Moroccan football player was booed by Israeli fans during a match in Tel Aviv this weekend.

Achraf Hakimi appeared on the pitch for his new team, Paris Saint-Germain, who were playing against Lille for the French Community Shield.

Videos circulated show the crowds whistling aggressively when Hakimi is in possession of the ball.

It appears the hostile reception relates to a tweet Hakimi sent in May in support of Palestinians - using the #FreePalestine hashtag - following Israel’s violent attacks against Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem and its military assault on the besieged Gaza Strip.

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Several Moroccan and international players showed their support for Hakimi following the incident.

Algeria’s Ismail Bennacer, who plays for AC Milan, was among the players who showed support for Hakimi by sharing a photo of the Moroccan star on his Instagram page.

Moroccan football players Soufian Boufale and Amine Harit took similar actions to express solidarity with Hakimi.

Despite being active on social media, Hakimi has yet to respond to the incident.

Hakimi joined Paris Saint Germain from Inter Milan in June and is a key player in Morocco’s national team. He was part of Morocco's campaign in the 2018 World Cup.