Tel-Aviv Local Rivalry Called Off Due to Serious Unrest
Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv was engulfed by smoke before the scheduled kick-off
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The domestic football league local clash involving one local team and Hapoel Tel Aviv was cancelled before the start on Sunday, following what police labeled as "civil unrest and violent riots".
"Numerous of smoke grenades and fireworks were thrown," law enforcement posted on social media, adding "this is not a football game, this is chaos and major hostilities".
A dozen civilians and multiple law enforcement members were injured, police said, while nine people were arrested and sixteen held for interrogation.
The unrest come just a short time after representatives in the United Kingdom said that followers of the club cannot be permitted to go to the Europa League match at the Birmingham team in Britain next month because of security issues.
Hapoel Tel Aviv censured the game abandonment, alleging authorities of "gearing up for a war, not a sporting event", particularly during discussions in the lead-up to the eagerly-awaited fixture.
"The shocking events near the venue and following the ill-considered and unacceptable ruling to abandon the match only show that the authorities has assumed command over the sport," the club said in a statement.
The other team has not yet commented, merely stating the match was cancelled.
The decision by security authorities to prohibit the team's supporters from the Birmingham game on 6 November has sparked extensive disapproval.
The British authorities has later announced it is seeking to cancel the prohibition and exploring what extra measures might be required to guarantee the fixture can be hosted safely.
Aston Villa informed their stadium staff that they were not required to attend at the game, stating they understood that some "may have concerns".
On Thursday, local authorities stated it supported the ban and categorized the fixture as "concerning" according to intelligence and previous incidents.
That involved "physical confrontations and bigotry-related acts" between the Dutch team and their supporters before a game in Amsterdam in late 2024, when numerous persons were arrested.
There have been demonstrations at various athletic competitions regarding the situation in Gaza, for instance when the national team played the Scandinavian team and Italy in current international matches.
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- Football
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PublishedAugust 16
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