An official with English soccer’s governing body has resigned following an inflammatory social media post about the Israel-Hamas conflict where he wrote that Adolf Hitler would be proud of Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Wasim Haq tendered his resignation from his role as a council member of the Football Association (FA) on Thursday, writing that it was the best course of action for himself and the organization. The FA oversees the Premier League, England’s top soccer division.
Haq had already been suspended by the FA for the controversial November 11 post on X which he deleted hours later.
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The deleted post read, “Netanyahu has sacrificed his own people to maintain power…whilst #Palestinians are trying to maintain their sanity. Adolf Hitler would be proud of Benjamin Netanyahu.”
After he deleted the post, he wrote another denying that he was an anti-Semite.
He shared a copy of his resignation Thursday on X.
“It is with great sadness that I inform you of my decision to resign as a member of the FA Council with immediate effect,” Haq wrote.
“As someone who has worked closely with many Jewish people over the years and created meaningful and valued friendships, the most painful part of this process is knowing that some of those friends and colleagues may not forgive me for the misunderstanding and hurt I have unintentionally caused. I take full responsibility and reiterate my apology to them and all those affected.”
He wrote that his now-deleted tweet was a “direct criticism of a politician, not about a race or a religious group.”
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“In expressing those feelings, I chose the wrong words entirely and that has impacted the leadership position that I hold at the FA,” he wrote.
“Following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas there are heightened emotions all around. I, like millions of others, have been deeply disturbed by the huge loss of life, this war has become a painful slaughter of innocent adults and children – a war that humanity should have avoided.”
Haq added that he would be meeting with members of the Jewish community to “share and understand,” although he did not elaborate.
He also offered to help the FA set up a “systematic process in which we can bring communities together in the future”.
Haq has also been sacked from his role as an independent councilor at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the national governing body of tennis in Great Britain, while he is also being investigated by England Golf, where he holds a role similar to that at the FA.
Reuters contributed to this story.
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