Tel-Aviv Local Rivalry Called Off Following Serious Unrest
The sports venue in Tel Aviv was engulfed by haze ahead of the scheduled start
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The domestic football league rivalry match featuring Maccabi Tel Aviv and their city rivals was cancelled ahead of the start on the weekend, following what authorities characterized as "crowd trouble and serious disturbances".
"Many of smoke grenades and flares were thrown," authorities announced on digital channels, noting "this cannot be considered a sporting event, this is chaos and significant aggression".
Twelve civilians and multiple police personnel were injured, authorities reported, while multiple persons were detained and sixteen detained for questioning.
The disturbances occur just a short time after authorities in the UK said that followers of the club cannot be permitted to be present at the European competition fixture at Aston Villa in Britain next month because of safety concerns.
The local club censured the derby cancellation, claiming Israeli police of "getting ready for a war, not a sporting event", including during discussions in the lead-up to the eagerly-awaited fixture.
"The shocking events outside the arena and following the irresponsible and scandalous judgment to abandon the game only demonstrate that the authorities has taken control of the football," the team announced publicly.
Their rivals has not yet commented, except to confirm the game was called off.
The decision by the local safety committee to exclude club followers from the Aston Villa match on November 6 has provoked extensive disapproval.
The British authorities has later announced it is working to overturn the restriction and investigating what additional resources might be needed to make certain the match can be hosted safely.
Aston Villa notified their security personnel that they did not have to work at the fixture, saying they understood that some "may have concerns".
On earlier in the week, law enforcement confirmed it backed the prohibition and classified the fixture as "potentially dangerous" due to intelligence and previous incidents.
That encompassed "violent clashes and discrimination incidents" between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv fans before a game in Amsterdam in late 2024, when over sixty individuals were detained.
There have been protests at various games concerning the situation in Gaza, including when Israel faced the Scandinavian team and Italy in latest qualification games.
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Posted48 hours prior
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PublishedMid-August
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