A newly-appointed executive at Dagenham & Redbridge FC has been sacked just three days into the role after vile social media posts emerged in which she openly supports Hamas.
Salma Mashour, a football presenter and digital content creator, had been unveiled with fanfare on Monday as the new director of development and engagement. But her time with the National League club ended just 72 hours later in disgrace after it emerged she posted messages supporting terrorism and claiming Israel’s existence is illegal.
In a now-deleted 30 October 2023 post, just weeks after the Hamas massacre that saw 1,200 Israelis slaughtered, Mashour declared:
“I do not condemn Hamas… self-defence is not terrorism… Palestine will be free.”
Jewish News can also reveal that Mashour uploaded a seven-minute video rant on Instagram on 24 October 2023, where she branded Israel an “illegal apartheid state” and peddled conspiracy theories about the 7 October attacks being “convenient” for Netanyahu’s government.
Screenshot: Twitter/X
Dagenham & Redbridge FC, which has deep ties to the Jewish communities of Redbridge and Ilford, acted swiftly, confirming her dismissal “effective immediately” in a statement issued by managing director Steve Thompson.
“As soon as we were made aware of the video, we acted quickly. The video was completely unacceptable,” Thompson said. “We are a multifaith, multicultural club and we do not tolerate racism, discrimination, or support for terrorism of any kind.”
Marwan Serry pictured with a tearful looking Salma Mashour in a video posted on Thursday afternoon.
He added: “We have a long tradition as a multi-cultural team and community. We are proud to have had the first British Asian captain of any English football league club, Anwar Uddin and Sam Sloma, a prominent Jewish player, who played alongside a Barbadian international and South African player.”
The controversy has sparked uproar among fans, with many expressing horror at the apparent lack of vetting.
Supporter Suzanne Collier said she was “appalled” at Mashour’s appointment, accusing the club of failing to do due diligence and “inviting antisemitism” into its ranks.
Screenshot: Instagram
Another fan, Nick, said Mashour’s views were “incompatible” with the club’s values. “Terrorism support has no place in football — or anywhere in Britain,” he added.
The appointment of Mashour came alongside the arrival of Egyptian businessman Marwan Serry, who was named as a new part-owner of the club earlier this week.
Serry has yet to comment publicly about the sacking.
Steve Thompson, managing director, Dagenham and Redbridge FC.
However, fans are also sounding the alarm over the behaviour of some of Serry’s online followers. One Facebook fan group calling itself “Daggers Arabic” has mocked Jewish fans and shared hateful messages, including threats and slurs directed at existing supporters.
Local Labour MP Margaret Mullane is now seeking an urgent meeting with the club’s management to address what she called a “deeply concerning” situation.
A Labour Party official told Jewish News: “This is why we need a regulator in football, because we have external forces that are now effectively destroying the culture of our national sport.”
Supporters attending a heated meeting at the club on Wednesday evening told Jewish News that repeated questions over financial contributions made to the club by Serry were left unanswered by club chairman, Daniel Hall.
Dagenham & Redbridge is owned by Club Underdog, part of the US-based North Sixth Group. The scandal has reignited calls for an independent regulator in football, as fans demand greater oversight of who gets to influence Britain’s national game.
