Tel Aviv, MINA — Just days after English club Aston Villa barred Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending their Europa League clash next month, Israeli fans erupted into violent riots in their own city on Sunday night.
The highly anticipated derby between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Bloomfield Stadium was called off after large-scale clashes broke out inside and outside the venue. Israeli police said the match was canceled due to “a risk to human life.”
What was meant to be the first Tel Aviv derby in more than a year quickly descended into chaos. Thousands of fans lit fireworks, hurled flares, and fought with security forces. Police reported at least 12 civilians and three officers injured, with nine arrests and 16 others detained for questioning.
“Dozens of smoke grenades and pyrotechnic devices were thrown. This was not a football match, it was a dangerous public riot,” a Tel Aviv police spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
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The violence adds to the growing negative reputation of Israeli fans, following Aston Villa’s controversial decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from their November 6 European fixture.
That move sparked political backlash in the UK, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling the ban “misguided.” However, West Midlands Police defended Aston Villa, citing previous violence between Maccabi and Ajax fans in Amsterdam in 2024.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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