The Wycombe captain, one of England’s few Jewish footballers, talks about the abuse he suffered and the sport’s response.
“I knew that if I spoke openly, I would get some backlash,” Jacobson says. The Wycombe Wanderers defender, one of the few Jewish footballers playing in England, speaks with miserable honesty. Jacobson, who hopes to lead Wycombe to Wembley, opposite League One teammate Peterborough, in the EFL Trophy final on Sunday afternoon, was criticised after posting on social media about Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.
There’s nothing debatable about the 37-year-old’s comments. Jacobson simply questioned photographs of other people in London and Sydney that appeared to be celebrating the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. “We gained some feedback,” he says. And then, about a month later, I started getting a lot of messages. There had been a march in High Wycombe. I think it possibly would have been a march for a free but peaceful Palestine. But other people have counted my tweet above with this march, even though you can see that the timeline is set six weeks in advance.
“I won some tweets. One from someone who had worked at the club. Then, the club started receiving a lot of letters. An email sent to the club that read: “Joe wishes to apologise, he is destined to be the captain. “of his club. ” One said: “If he doesn’t apologise and the club doesn’t do anything, we’ll just block the doors. “at Adams Park for one of the games.
Wycombe, the club Jacobson has called home for the past decade, has taken it seriously. The former Cardiff, Bristol Rovers and Oldham player travelled to Adams Park to suffer a seizure and promptly greeted him through security waiting to let him in. to realize it,” he says. I said, “No, no, I’m happy. ” There were friends and family I chatted with. I didn’t realize that they would have to put a safety device in place in case something happened. Just for once, so that’s okay.
Jacobson reflects on online abuse. Think of Wycombe tweeting about a dinner party to celebrate his captain’s testimony. “Everyone would have a comment underneath saying, ‘I probably wouldn’t do this blah, blah, blah, that’s genocide. He is anti-Semitic. I never talked about Israel. ” You take my faith and use it to attack me.
Jacobson, whose time at Wycombe is coming to an end, says he has never encountered anti-Semitism in a dressing room. “Most people are curious,” he says. Self-loathing breaks the ice. “At Passover time, I tell some players, ‘If you walk into my family’s dining room while we’re having a Seder and see everyone leaning to the left, or if everyone looks around the room while a ghost comes in and drinks a glass of wine, you’d think we’re crazy,'” Jacobson says. “But I think that’s how people ask questions. “
Was Jacobson worried about the abuse?” Yes,” he said. I don’t think anything will happen. But for the club to put them in a position of safety. . . I got to that point and then I thought, “Actually, it might be something serious. But I don’t think anything will happen. ” I have to explain. If I don’t do it because I’m worried, nothing will ever get done.
Jacobson is involved in a task force that aims to fight anti-Semitism in football. He said he was disappointed with football’s reaction after Oct. 7. The Football Association has been criticised across the Jewish network for failing to light up Wembley Arch in the colours. of the Israeli flag. Alex Goldberg, a rabbi who chaired the FA’s “Faith in Football” group, has resigned.
“Football does amazing things when it needs to,” Jacobson says. “Sometimes you just have to be invited. It is not obligatory for a rabbi to resign from his role in the FA in order to obtain an apology. But steps have been taken and we will see what comes out of it.
“Anti-Semitism has increased because of the conflict. This problem will have to be resolved. The only way to do that is through education and the intervention of large organizations. The Premier League can reach a billion people in a minute. It’s not difficult for them to spread a video condemning anti-Semitism.
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After the Promotion
Jacobson, who is desperate for Wycombe to win the silver medal before his contract expires this summer, is optimistic. Talks have begun with the FA, the English Football League and the Professional Footballers’ Association. Jacobson met with Lord Mann, the government’s adviser on anti-Semitism. He has teamed up with some other Jew, Dean Furman, a former South African and Oldham midfielder.
“We had a call with Dal Darroch, who is the head of diversity and inclusion at the FA,” Jacobson said. “He showed us the measures taken through the FA. They are making progress.
“I spoke to the PFA today. They were great. They have a brochure for players and clubs. This is the Muslim network, but they need to create a Jewish network so that the players can understand what you can say if you have Jewish players on their team. I read the Muslim book, learned about Ramadan and what it means for Muslim players.
“I don’t forget the League One playoff final against Sunderland in 2022. I was on the pitch with a Ukrainian flag with the other captain. Football can do things. With anti-Semitism, it’s a little late. But I think they learned that they had to do more.