Quoting the Qur’an was Dabbur’s downfall at home

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Munas Dabbur doesn’t have much to smile about. Hostilities and dismissal from the national team. A serious shoulder injury. Acute need for relegation with Hoffenheim. And then a burglary in your own home – in broad daylight. For the TSG striker, the log of the past twelve months reads like a series of breakdowns. The statement of Bundesliga legend Jürgen Wegmann is in line with this: And if you’re not lucky, you’re also unlucky.

Like last time against Hertha – a pitch-dark day for Dabbur: as a substitute, he flew off the field after just two minutes in the second half. A wild sliding tackle has killed the noble prankster. After all, Hoffenheim wins the basement game despite being outnumbered 3: 1 – a liberation after eight defeats in a row. Dabbur will then be suspended for two to three games.

«Good direct connection to Breitenreiter»

Unbearable. As if his situation wasn’t stressful enough already. He is in a difficult position under new coach Pellegrino Matarazzo – the Israeli record goalscorer in the Bundesliga has not been first choice since the second half of the season. “He told me he prefers other strikers for tactical reasons,” says Dabbur. “It is important to me that I do my best in training to convince him that he is counting on me.”

The former GC star is not yet used to the role of a reservist. He chooses the words carefully: “A new coach always brings a new philosophy. Most of the players already knew him because he was here as an assistant coach four years ago. Unfortunately I was not in Hoffenheim at the time, but we get to know each other better every day.”

It is an unknown test for the devout Muslim. Just six months ago, when André Breitenreiter came over as head coach from FC Zurich, the air was full of violins. “We clicked really well from the start. Mainly because of our experiences in Switzerland. We talked a lot about the Super League and the Zurich derbies. Of course also about the problems of the FCZ after he left as champion. »

The strong bond with Breitenreiter

The trust between the two “Swiss” pays off. Dabbur inspires wide riders and scores at the start in almost every second race. “I had the best start to the season ever,” says Dabbur. “The team was in a good mood – everything went perfectly.” Hoffenheim consolidated in the top third of the table and Dabbur became a regular. Until that fateful day in October when he fell on his shoulder during practice.

The diagnosis is devastating: rupture of the shoulder joint. A torn ligament where the collarbone and shoulder blade connect. Dabbur gritted his teeth and kept playing for two weeks, “but that made everything worse”. To avoid surgery, he relies on therapy and a lot of patience.

It’s going to be a dark winter for Dabbur. “I was very unhappy and sad. It was my first big injury. And it was hard for me to accept that I’m in the prime of my life and out the window for two months,” recalled Dabbur. A period of doubt ensues. “Especially the uncertainty about what it will be like when you come back.”

GC still at heart

Coincidence or not – without Dabbur, Hoffenheim goes into a negative spiral and slips into the table cellar. It wasn’t until January that Dabbur made a full recovery from his accident. He fights his way back into the team. In the third game after the comeback, he gives an assist – a valueless pattern. Hoffenheim goes down 2:5 against Bochum. The end of Broad Rider is sealed. To Dabbur’s regret, “I really liked him as a coach and also as a person.”

Despite the divorce, he maintained contact with Breitenreiter. Doubts remain about his future. “It’s also part of football and you have to be able to deal with it,” he says dryly. He only has one year left on his contract and will turn 31 in May. “Time flies like crazy, I’m aware of that. But today I might even feel physically fitter than before – and with a lot more experience.”

The experience makes Dabbur a little thoughtful. In conversation with Blick, however, a grin flashes across his face every now and then. This has less to do with the reporter and much more to do with his background. “I feel very connected to Switzerland,” says Dabbur. There is one reason in particular: “GC is my first great love for football.” A love that continues to this day, as it turns out later.

Snow seen for the first time in Switzerland

Born in Nazareth, the son of a Palestinian contractor, the youngest of five brothers dribbles his way to becoming a professional footballer. But shortly after becoming an adult comes the shock: his father dies in a car accident. From that moment on, football also died for Dabbur. But his mother persuaded him to follow his father’s dream and score goals as a striker for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Even today he commemorates every hit with a finger pointing to the sky. “I owe all the success I have to my father.” Moving to Switzerland is also part of that. “GC was my first big transfer,” says Dabbur. He proudly remembers February 2014 and the drastic change in culture and climate. “I saw snow during training for the first time in my life.”

Despite the cold, the welcome in Zurich is warm. «I felt very comfortable from the first moment. The people in the club and the fans have welcomed me very well,” emphasizes Dabbur. “It certainly helped that I scored a lot of goals very quickly.” In his second season, he briefly flirts with US Palermo. But the deal with the Serie A club fell through because the Sicilians’ bid for GC is too modest.

The chaos at GC hurts me

After three years, Dabbur leaves the Swiss record champion as the top scorer in the Super League and moves to RB Salzburg. He continues to grow in the Red Bull football academy, scoring 44 goals in 76 games. It attracts the Spanish LaLiga and FC Sevilla. The adventure in Andalusia is nothing more than an excursion. After a few months without much playing time, he switched to the cold again during the winter break – to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

There he enjoys the proximity of Switzerland and its management. The Soccer Mondial agency based in Zug is always worth a trip for Dabbur in his spare time. He loved not only Lake Zug, but also Lake Lucerne – the Bürgenstock, one of his favorite places. His wife and daughter, who will soon be three, feel in the middle of paradise there.

But Dabbur also has local football in his heart. He follows the Super League round after round – and is amazed that YB has replaced FC Basel as the league’s dominator. There is even a hint of melancholy as he assesses the current chaos between the Grasshoppers and their owners from China. “It is sad that the club is currently in a difficult phase.”

Secret fan of the Swiss national team

With age comes maturity of the retrospective. Dabbur has not forgotten his debt to GC and is concerned about the welfare of the record champions. “Without GC I wouldn’t be where I am today. That’s why Switzerland will always be something special to me.” But that’s not all. He even relates his feelings to the national team. “It moves me personally when I see Switzerland play.”

Dabbur knows the team like no other from his long career. “The quality of the team is really exceptionally good.” He can tell a personal story about almost every player – see video/box. “It is remarkable which selection Switzerland can rely on. And not just in the Bundesliga,” says Dabbur enthusiastically.

He would like to attend the European Championship qualifier of Switzerland against Israel in Geneva on Tuesday evening (20.45, SRF 2 live). Especially since he has never played against Switzerland in his career. The last meeting took place in Basel in 2009 and ended in 0-0.

This year he expects anything but a zero figure. “It will be a very difficult game for Israel – Switzerland has it in its own feet,” says Dabbur, looking very excited. He doesn’t seem to agree with the fact that he needs to watch the game of his life on TV.

Unpleasant end to national career

The wounds of leaving the national team have not yet healed. He said goodbye last year with a short thank you note. This was preceded by a tragedy in the spring of 2021: after the bloody riots between Jews and Palestinians on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, he published a photo of the Dome of the Rock via Instagram and quoted from the Quran: “God will take revenge on the sinners .”

This statement sparked a wave of hatred in the Jewish community. Dabbur is insulted online and later insulted on the field. His 15 goals for Israel are forgotten. Though the spectators boo him mercilessly, coaches and players are protective of him. And there is also support from the association. Dabbur goes through a year and scores seven goals in eleven games. But the fans continue to verbally applaud him.

Politics is stronger than sports. After 40 international matches, he draws a painful line. “Of course I would have wished for the appropriate recognition for the past eight years in the national team. But I had to accept it as it came,” says Dabbur, talking about responsibility to himself and his family. “The past two years have not been easy for me. That is why I have decided to step down.”

Source : Blick