Tel Aviv Local Rivalry Postponed Following Serious Unrest
Bloomfield Stadium in the city was filled with smoke prior to the anticipated kick-off
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Published
The domestic football league local clash between Maccabi Tel Aviv and their city rivals was cancelled before commencement on Sunday, after what law enforcement labeled as "public disorder and violent riots".
"Numerous of smoke bombs and flares were set off," authorities announced on online platforms, noting "this is not a sporting event, it constitutes disorder and serious violence".
A dozen individuals and multiple police personnel were injured, police said, while multiple persons were arrested and sixteen held for interrogation.
The clashes come just a brief period after authorities in the United Kingdom said that supporters of the team should not be allowed to go to the international tournament game at Aston Villa in the UK next month because of public safety worries.
One team censured the match postponement, accusing Israeli police of "preparing for a war, instead of a sporting event", including during talks in the build-up to the eagerly-awaited match.
"The disturbing incidents near the venue and following the ill-considered and scandalous decision not to hold the match only demonstrate that the law enforcement has taken control of the sport," the team said in a statement.
Their rivals has not yet commented, merely stating the fixture was abandoned.
The decision by security authorities to ban club followers from the Birmingham game on the sixth of November has provoked extensive disapproval.
The British authorities has later announced it is working to overturn the ban and exploring what additional resources might be necessary to ensure the match can be held without incident.
Villa informed their security personnel that they did not have to work at the match, explaining they acknowledged that some "may have concerns".
On the previous day, local authorities stated it supported the ban and categorized the game as "concerning" based on intelligence and previous incidents.
That encompassed "violent clashes and hate-crime offences" involving Ajax and their supporters ahead of a fixture in the Dutch capital in the previous year, when more than 60 people were detained.
There have been rallies at several sporting events over the situation in Gaza, for instance when the national team played the Scandinavian team and the European team in latest qualification games.
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Posted48 hours prior
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Released16 August
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