The Tel Aviv football derby between Hapoel and Maccabi has been cancelled after "violent riots" saw nine people arrested, Israeli police said.
A statement from Israeli police said the game was called off "following disturbances and risks to human life".
It added: "During the violence and disturbances inside the stadium, 13 civilians were injured by pyrotechnic devices, some of whom were evacuated for medical treatment.
"In addition, three police officers were injured by pyrotechnic devices thrown directly at them.
"These are very serious incidents that posed a real danger to the lives of police officers and civilians."
The force said further arrests are expected.
"Violence and throwing objects at sports venues constitute criminal, unacceptable, dangerous and reprehensible behaviour," the statement continued.
A Maccabi statement read: "Following the police's decision, it was determined that the Tel Aviv derby will not take place tonight."
Footage shared by the police shows projectiles and flares being thrown onto the pitch, as well as unrest outside the stadium and arrests being made.
The news comes as Maccabi supporters have been told they are not allowed to attend November's Europa League game against Aston Villa in Birmingham next month after a decision by Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG).
The group – made up of local stakeholders, including representatives from the council, police and event organisers – said the decision was due to a high risk of violence based on "current intelligence and previous incidents".
The government says it is exploring what "additional resources and support are required" to allow "all fans" to attend the match.
https://news.sky.com/story/tel-aviv-football-derby-cancelled-as-violent-riots-see-nine-arrested-13453239
Posted by Financial-Painter689
8 Comments
Honestly, this whole thing has been deeply embarrassing for the UK politicians.
Aston Villa FC is based in a city with a huge Muslim population, and banning a group of fans who have a history of causing issues, disrespectful behavior and also literally chanting “death to Arabs” is a matter of public safety
But it’s better to throw your citizens under the bus than accept that an Israeli teams fans are problematic
I feel like they want the Maccabee fans to show up so **THERE IS** confrontation with the locals so they can crack down on dissent even further.
Will Keir Starmer condemn this antisemitism from Israel?
Imagine being more upset about these idiots being banned from a football match than 60,000 dead men women and CHILDREN. Fucking shameful
Well Keir… you red tory genocidal bastard… you wanna bring this to bham because ???0
Keir Starmer must intervene so that the native Islamists of Tel Aviv allow this match to take place! This is just antisemitism from the cops. Tel Aviv cannot be a Hamas stronghold.
You couldn’t script this.
The world is just going out of its way to make Starmer look as stupid as possible, but he’ll still double down.
Help, how can we blame this on Khhhaaammmmassss???