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.

Meanwhile, Madau’s words had already shifted a great deal of attention from sports to politics.

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........

© The Times of Israel