Besiktas to face Maccabi Tel Aviv behind closed doors in Hungary

BUDAPEST – The Europa League match between Turkish club Besiktas and Maccabi Tel Aviv from Israel on Nov 28 will be contested in a neutral territory in Hungary, Uefa said on Nov 11.

The match was originally a home game for Istanbul-based Besiktas, but the Turkish government had earlier decided not to host it in Turkey. It will now be played at Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen.

“The match will be played behind closed doors following a decision of the local Hungarian authorities,” the governing body of European football Uefa said in a statement.

At least five people were injured during the unrest involving fans of the visiting Maccabi team who lost 5-0 to Ajax Amsterdam in the Europa League on Nov 7.

Besiktas stated that Hungary was the only country that agreed to host the match.

They had already announced that their match would be played “in a neutral country” for security reasons, but said in a statement on Nov 11 that the events in Amsterdam were behind the decision to play behind closed doors.

“In light of the recent incidents that occurred between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters, the match will take place without spectators,” the club said.

“We kindly ask our supporters to cancel their travel plans for this match to avoid possible inconveniences.”

The meeting between the two clubs was considered high risk, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stepping up his verbal attacks on Israeli leaders since the start of the war in Gaza.

Anti-Israel demonstrations, encouraged by the Turkish government, have been taking place across the country for more than a year. In 2023, Israel advised its nationals and diplomats in Turkey to leave the country.

Meanwhile, riot police in Amsterdam on Nov 11 arrested several people during another eruption of violence sparked by the match between Maccabi and Ajax, days after it ended.

A police spokesperson said a tram in a square in the western part of Amsterdam had caught fire, likely caused by fireworks thrown at it. The windows of the tram were shattered.

No one was injured in the incident, as the tram had been empty, the spokesperson said.

Footage on local TV station AT5 showed many people on the square throwing fireworks, poles and wooden pallets.

Police urged people to stay away from the square and said riot squads would remain present to restore peace.

The riots come after days of unrest in the Dutch capital, where earlier on Nov 8 Israeli football fans were attacked in what Dutch authorities and a range of foreign leaders have denounced as acts of anti-Semitism.

Maccabi fans on Nov 6 attacked a taxi and burned a Palestinian flag in Amsterdam. On the day of the game, Maccabi supporters were filmed chanting anti-Arab slogans in videos verified by Reuters. REUTERS, AFP