ISTANBUL: Turkish first division club Basaksekir on Thursday sent Israeli midfielder Eden Karzev on loan to Maccabi Tel Aviv following an investigation into his repost of a social media message calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The Istanbul side opened disciplinary proceedings against Karzev earlier this week after the defensive midfielder posted a message reading: “Bring Them Home Now”.
The investigation came the same day Israeli footballer Sagiv Jehezkel was briefly arrested and charged with incitement to hatred for showing a message about the Gaza war after scoring a goal for Antalyaspor.
Jehezkel leaves Turkiye
Jehezkel left Turkiye after being formally charged in a court in Istanbul on Monday. Basaksekir took Karzev on loan from Israeli outfit Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2023.
Basaksekir said in a statement that the player was fined in accordance with the club’s disciplinary instructions, and it was deemed appropriate for the player to continue his career abroad.
Maccabi said the player– capped 5 times by Israel — was joining the Tel Aviv club on loan from Basaksekir for the remainder of the season.
The Israeli side said that Eden Karzev returned to Maccabi after a deal was reached with Turkish club Basaksehir for the loan of the midfielder until the end of the 2023/24 season with an option to make the move permanent.
