Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv was filled with haze before the scheduled kick-off
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Issued
The domestic football league derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was abandoned prior to kick-off on the weekend, due to what law enforcement characterized as "public disorder and serious disturbances".
"Many of smoke devices and flares were launched," Israeli police stated on digital channels, emphasizing "this isn't a sporting event, this is chaos and major hostilities".
Twelve people and several law enforcement members were injured, officials confirmed, while multiple persons were taken into custody and 16 detained for questioning.
The unrest come just a brief period after officials in the UK announced that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ought to be banned to attend the international tournament match at the English club in Britain next month because of safety concerns.
Hapoel Tel Aviv censured the game abandonment, accusing law enforcement of "gearing up for a battle, instead of a sporting event", particularly during talks in the build-up to the highly-anticipated encounter.
"The disturbing situations outside the venue and following the reckless and scandalous decision to abandon the fixture only demonstrate that the law enforcement has taken control of the football," the team announced publicly.
Maccabi Tel Aviv has remained silent, only acknowledging the game was called off.
The decision by security authorities to prohibit the team's supporters from the Aston Villa match on the sixth of November has sparked widespread criticism.
The UK government has subsequently stated it is seeking to cancel the ban and exploring what further support might be necessary to make certain the match can be held without incident.
Aston Villa told their matchday stewards that they could choose not to participate at the match, stating they understood that some "could be worried".
On the previous day, local authorities confirmed it backed the restriction and classified the fixture as "potentially dangerous" based on intelligence and earlier occurrences.
That included "violent clashes and hate-crime offences" between Ajax and followers prior to a game in the Netherlands in November 2024, when more than 60 people were taken into custody.
There have been demonstrations at various athletic competitions regarding the situation in Gaza, such as when the national team faced the Scandinavian team and Italy in latest qualification games.
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ReleasedAugust 16
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