Frankfurt FSV players celebrate after goal.  Photo: REUTERS

BERLIN – The Frankfurt-based FSV second league football club terminated its  advertising contract with the Saudi Arabian airline “Saudia” because it refuses  to sell tickets to Israeli citizens. The Berliner Morgenpost reported on  Wednesday in an article titled “Second division Frankfurt ends sponsorship  because of anti-Semitism.”

“Despite the request of FSV for a statement to  the allegations, Saudi Arabia’s airline as a state owned airline, referred the  matter to the Saudi Arabia embassy in Berlin. For this reason, both sides  decided to cancel the contractual relationship,” said the FSV  club.

According to the Berliner Morgenpost, the FSV’s director Clemens  Krüger said that the football club made a “mistake.” The Berliner Morgenpost said that there was widespread coverage in the Internet about Saudi Arabia’s  alleged discriminatory policy against Israelis.

New York’s Mayor-elect  Bill de Blasio demanded that Saudi Arabia airlines be banned from New York’s  airports, because of the airline’s anti-Israel policy.

“No city in the  world has closer ties to Israel than we do, and yet Israeli citizens are being  discriminated against right here at JFK. It’s not only illegal; it’s an affront  to who we are,” said de Blasio, prior to his election victory.

The New  York Post reported his comments.

“We won’t stop with just exposing these  practices.

We’ll pursue this with authorities in Albany and in Washington  until Israeli nationals’ rights are respected,” he said.

German Jews and  a Jewish soccer club had criticized the contract between FSV and the Saudi  Airline.

According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung paper, the  president of the club Maccabi Frankfurt, Alon Mayer, said it is a slap in the  face and “I now see the previously highly valued club FSV with different  eyes.”

Alex Feuerherdt, a German Journalist who writes about  anti-Semitism and football, told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday “for Saudia  that would have an upgrade of its brand name” if the sponsor contract with FSV  had been approved.

Feuerherdt welcomed the FSV decision to terminate the  agreement with Saudia.