Nordic Champion Alleges Israeli Players Incited Fans Against Him

Nordic footvolley champion Rufus Wiena has raised alarms about threats and harassment he experienced during a tournament in Graz, Austria, alleging that Israeli competitors incited their fans against him. Wiena, who has publicly supported Palestine, stated that he felt compelled to flee the tournament venue after receiving numerous threatening messages.

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The Israelis incited their fans against me.

According to Wiena, one of the Israeli players, who has a significant social media following, posted a story asking his fans what should be done with someone like Wiena, to which the response was "Post a picture, and we'll take care of him." Following the match, the Israeli player thanked his fans for "creative tips" on actions to take "off the court." Wiena stated that he was already on a flight home at that point and has since filed police reports in both Sweden and Austria.

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Have you seen?! They write that they will get you. You have to get away from the Israelis. Now!

Wiena's activism for Palestine is not new. He noted that a year prior, his Greek colleague, Ioannis Tsiouris, faced similar threats and hate speech from Israeli footvolley profiles on social media for condemning Israel's actions in Palestine. Wiena had previously appealed to Footvolley Sweden and the European Footvolley League (EFVL) to condemn such behavior, but felt his concerns were not adequately addressed. He has now joined Tsiouris in a formal complaint to the EFVL's executive committee regarding the incidents.

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One of the players has 25,000 followers and posted a story asking them what should be done with someone like me. 'Post a picture, and we'll take care of him,' was the answer.