Tel Aviv Local Rivalry Cancelled After Serious Unrest
The sports venue in Tel Aviv was covered in haze ahead of the anticipated start
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The Israeli Premier League local clash featuring Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was called off before kick-off on Sunday, due to what authorities characterized as "public disorder and serious disturbances".
"Many of smoke grenades and fireworks were thrown," law enforcement posted on social media, noting "this cannot be considered a football game, this is chaos and significant aggression".
A dozen civilians and multiple officers were harmed, police said, while multiple persons were detained and sixteen questioned by police.
The unrest happen just a brief period after representatives in the UK said that supporters of the team cannot be permitted to be present at the Europa League game at the Birmingham team in Britain next month because of safety concerns.
Hapoel Tel Aviv censured the match postponement, accusing authorities of "preparing for a conflict, instead of a sporting event", particularly during talks in the build-up to the much-expected encounter.
"The shocking incidents around the stadium and due to the reckless and unacceptable judgment to abandon the fixture only demonstrate that the law enforcement has taken control of the sport," Hapoel Tel Aviv said in a statement.
Their rivals has remained silent, merely stating the fixture was abandoned.
The decision by Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group to ban club followers from the Birmingham game on 6 November has sparked widespread criticism.
The UK government has later announced it is working to overturn the ban and exploring what additional resources might be needed to guarantee the game can be hosted safely.
Villa told their stadium staff that they did not have to work at the game, saying they understood that some "may have concerns".
On earlier in the week, local authorities said it endorsed the prohibition and classified the game as "high risk" due to intelligence and previous incidents.
That included "serious fights and hate-crime offences" among the Dutch team and their supporters prior to a match in the Dutch capital in November 2024, when over sixty individuals were taken into custody.
There have been demonstrations at multiple sporting events concerning the conflict in Gaza, including when the national team competed against the Scandinavian team and the European team in recent football World Cup qualifiers.
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Published48 hours prior
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Published16 August
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