Salem Abu Siam (Arabic: سالم أبو سيام, Hebrew: סאלם אבו-סיאם; born 8 March 1983 in Lod) is an Arab-Israeli professional association football player who currently plays for Shimshon Kafr Qasim and is former Under-21 international.

Salem Abu Siam
سالم أبو صيام
סאלם אבו-סיאם
Personal information
Full name Salem Abu Siam
Date of birth (1983-03-08) 8 March 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth Lod, Israel
Position(s) Left Defender
Team information
Current team
Shimshon Kafr Qasim
Youth career
2002 Maccabi Tel Aviv
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2006 Maccabi Tel Aviv 94 (1)
2006–2008 Bnei Yehuda 44 (0)
2008 Hapoel Acre 7 (0)
2009–2010 Hapoel Petah Tikva 12 (0)
2010–2017 Hapoel Bnei Lod 158 (14)
2017– Shimshon Kafr Qasim 0 (0)
International career
2001 Israel U19 6 (0)
2002–2005 Israel U21 14 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 June 2017

Career

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Youth career

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Salem was part of the youth side at Maccabi Tel Aviv that won two straight championship titles as well as a cup title. It was inevitable that he would be promoted to the first side where he eventually received a starting role.

Maccabi Tel Aviv

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While in his first season at Maccabi Tel Aviv, they won a league championship and in his third season, Abu Siam was playing in the UEFA Champions League. Abu Siam, although as a Beduin belongs to a group not totally identified with the Arab community and therefore is not exactly of the same ethnic background as other Arab Israeli footballers such as Salim Tuama, Salah Hasarma or Abbas Suan, often had to turn the other cheek to racist remarks shouted at those players (or occasionally at him) by Maccabi fans, who are known for their often flagrantly personally offensive chants, and are often ranked highest on the Israeli press's tally for most racist fan community.

Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv

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At the beginning of the 2006–07 season Abu Siam made the eyebrow-raising decision to sign with one of Mac TA's crosstown rivals, Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv, a club with a fanatical fanbase smaller than Maccabi's, but more violent. Although at the beginning of the season the fans ridiculed the decision to sign the club's first Arab player, the furor soon died down, which came to a surprise following similar affairs with Beitar Jerusalem that had occurred in 2005 and 2006 in regards to efforts to sign Muslim Nigerian player Ndala Ibrahim.

Hapoel Petah Tikva

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Abu Siam signed a one-year contract with Hapoel Petah Tikva in October 2009.

Statistics

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Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Israel League Israel State Cup Toto Cup Europe Total
2006–2007 Bnei Yehuda Ligat ha'Al 26 0 1 0 5 1 0 0 32 1
2007–2008 18 0 1 1 5 0 0 0 24 1
2008–2009 Hapoel Acre Liga Leumit 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
2009–2010 Hapoel Petah Tikva Ligat ha'Al 13 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 14 1
2010–2011 Hapoel Bnei Lod Liga Leumit 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
2011–2012 19 2 2 1 4 0 0 0 25 3
Career total - - - - - - - - - -
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