Maccabi Tel Aviv claim their fans not to blame for derby cancellation

Maccabi Tel Aviv have distanced themselves from disturbances which led to the cancellation of the derby match against Hapoel before kick-off on Sunday.

Maccabi’s fans have been barred from attending the Europa League match away to Aston Villa next month amid safety concerns, a decision which was heavily criticised last week by a number of politicians, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

A No 10 Downing Street spokesman said on Friday that discussions were happening “at pace, across government” to overturn the ban.

On Sunday the Tel Aviv derby was called off before kick-off, with reports of smoke grenades and flares being thrown, but Maccabi insist their supporters did nothing to contribute to the game’s cancellation.

A club spokesperson told the PA news agency: “Maccabi Tel Aviv FC would like to clarify that the reason given for the cancellation of the derby match hosted yesterday by Hapoel Tel Aviv FC – unlike as reported by some (foreign) media – was as a result of flares thrown on to the pitch by fans of our opponent Hapoel Tel Aviv, not visiting fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv.”

West Midlands Police said last week they supported a decision by the local Safety Advisory Group to bar visiting fans from the Europa League tie against Villa, having classified the fixture as “high risk”.

They said the decision was “based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Amsterdam”.

The match at Villa Park takes place against the backdrop of ongoing tension in the Middle East.

The Fare network, which reports incidents of discrimination to UEFA from national team and European competition matches, told PA it was “reluctant to question” the decision to bar Maccabi fans and added that Maccabi fans were “well known for their racism”.

PA understands Fare has made multiple reports of discriminatory behaviour by Maccabi fans inside stadia within the last 10 years.

Maccabi are aware of Fare’s comments but have not yet commented on them or on the decision of the authorities in Birmingham to bar their supporters.

Cabinet minister Bridget Phillipson said on Monday the Government will “provide what is necessary” to ensure Maccabi fans can attend the match, saying the decision to block supporters was “very difficult to justify”.

A joint statement from the chairman of the Israeli Football Association, Shino Zuaretz, and the chairman of the Israeli Professional Football Leagues, Erez Halfon, said: “The more we delve into the details and examine the events and circumstances, the clearer the simple and painful truth becomes – once again, tens of thousands of wonderful football fans, and an amazing sport as a whole, have paid a heavy price for the criminal behavior of a sickening handful of offenders.

“In recent years, we have made tremendous progress to avoid matches without fans, neutral-venue punishments, and similar measures. We have enjoyed remarkable co-operation from the clubs and from the vast majority of outstanding supporters. The only element that was missing then – and was missing before and after the Tel Aviv derby – is a legislative change that is not in our hands: strict enforcement, deterrent punishment, and a true eradication of the hooligan phenomenon that destroys everything beautiful about our game.”

Media reports in Israel said Tel Aviv police arrested five people on suspicion of disturbing public order and that 51 flares or smoke bombs had been thrown on to the pitch.