On the Border. This item is unavailable.On the Border

In December 2020, an Israeli football club made worldwide headlines. The news that a UAE royal had bought 50 per cent of Beitar's shares shook Israel and the football world. Beitar, proclaimed by some of its own fans as 'The most racist club in the country' is a club like no other in Israel. While Israeli football as a whole is a space where Israelis of all ethnicities and foreigners can co-exist, Beitar wouldn't even sign a Muslim player for many years for fear of its own far-right supporters' group, La Familia. On the Border is the fascinating tale of a club that began as a sports movement of a liberal national Zionism party and became an overt symbol of right-wing views, Mizrahi identity and eventually hardcore racism and nationalism. The book explores the radicalisation of Beitar and the fight for the soul of the club between the racists and open-minded fans. It is also a story of Jerusalem, one of the most volatile places on earth, and how the holy city and the influence of religion have shaped Beitar.

Shaul Adar is an acclaimed Israeli journalist and an expert on Israeli football. He writes for The Blizzard, When Saturday Comes and 11 Freunde among other football publications. This is his third book.