The Europa League match between Besiktas and Maccabi Tel Aviv will be played in Debrecen, Hungary later this month due to fears of unrest. The news actually arrived before last week’s events in Amsterdam that saw Maccabi supporters and locals clash as social media footage alleged instances of flag burning, gratuitous chanting, and in some cases, attacks by some visiting Israelis.
Besiktas announced last week that the game would not be held in Turkey: “Although we have received all the necessary permits from UEFA to play the match against Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 28 in our own stadium, the Turkish authorities have decided that the match must be played in a neutral country”, they revealed.
On Monday it was announced that the game will be played without fans in Debrecen, Hungary. Besiktas stated:
“In light of the recent incidents that occurred between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters, the match will take place without spectators. (…) We kindly ask our supporters to cancel their travel plans for this match to avoid possible inconveniences.”
Coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s club had a difficult start to its Europa League campaign after two heavy defeats. After the 1-0 victory at Olympique Lyon in the third round, Swedish Champions Malmo were beaten 2-1 at home last Wednesday.
There has yet to be any comment from Maccabi Tel Aviv regarding the fixture’s location.
Following the violence in the Dutch capital, Israel and its teams have received additional security for European ventures. As a precaution of provocation, French authorities have banned spectators from bringing the Palestinian flag to the France-Israel football match on the 14th of November at the Stade de France. The Parisian police chief Laurent Nunez told French media:
“Only French and Israeli flags and messages supporting the teams will be allowed. Stadiums are no place for political messages – it’s the law.”
Some 4,000 paramilitary Gendarmes are expected to be around the stadium, on public transport and in Paris, with French President Emmanuel Macron expected to attend the match.
Meanwhile in Greece, there was heightened security for a Euro League basketball game between Panathinaikos and Maccabi Tel-Aviv. A police source said around 1,500 police would be assigned to security measures for the game at the Athens Olympic indoor hall. The Israeli embassy in Athens will also be assigned additional protection.
