Tel Aviv Local Rivalry Called Off After Serious Unrest
The sports venue in the city was engulfed by smoke before the anticipated beginning
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The domestic football league local clash involving Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was cancelled ahead of the start on Sunday, after what law enforcement characterized as "public disorder and serious disturbances".
"Numerous of smoke bombs and pyrotechnic devices were thrown," Israeli police stated on social media, noting "this cannot be considered a football game, it represents chaos and significant aggression".
Twelve people and three law enforcement members were harmed, officials confirmed, while several individuals were arrested and numerous others questioned by police.
The disturbances come just a short time after representatives in the UK announced that supporters of the team ought to be banned to go to the European competition fixture at the English club in Britain the following month because of security issues.
The local club censured the game abandonment, accusing law enforcement of "getting ready for a conflict, instead of a football match", even during meetings in the build-up to the highly-anticipated match.
"The alarming situations near the stadium and due to the ill-considered and outrageous decision to cancel the fixture only prove that the Israel Police has taken control of the game," the club announced publicly.
The other team has remained silent, merely stating the game was called off.
The ruling by the local safety committee to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the Birmingham game on 6 November has sparked broad condemnation.
The UK government has since said it is attempting to reverse the restriction and exploring what additional resources might be needed to ensure the match can be held without incident.
Aston Villa informed their security personnel that they were not required to attend at the game, stating they understood that some "may have concerns".
On the previous day, West Midlands Police said it backed the restriction and designated the fixture as "high risk" due to intelligence and past events.
That involved "physical confrontations and hate-crime offences" involving Ajax and followers ahead of a fixture in the Netherlands in late 2024, when numerous persons were taken into custody.
There have been demonstrations at several games over the situation in Gaza, such as when the national team played Norway and the European team in recent qualification games.
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Published2 days ago
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IssuedMid-August
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