The huge clash between Israeli rivals Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv has been cancelled just minutes before kick off.
On Sunday evening, Israeli sides Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv were set to face off in a huge derby match in the Bloomfield Stadium, the home ground shared by the two teams.
Given the fierce rivalry between the local clubs, clashes between fans before, during and after the Israeli Premier League match was expected.
The concerns come just days after fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv were banned from travelling to Birmingham for their Europa League match against Aston Villa in November.
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And it appears that the concerns were warranted, as shortly before kick-off it has been announced that the Tel Aviv derby has been cancelled due to safety concerns for both the players and fans.
Ahead of kick-off in the derby match, fans of both clubs reportedly began throwing flares, smoke grenades and stones from the stands.
Reacting to this, local police and match officials decided to send all players back into their dressing rooms and postpone the game until things had calmed down.
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Unfortunately, the situation only worsened, with local outlet Walla Sports claiming that several police officers and civilians were injured in the chaos.
Ultimately, local police decided that it was clearly too dangerous for the match to go ahead, and an official statement confirming it had been cancelled was released.
It read: "Disorderly conduct, riots, object throwing, smoke grenades, fireworks, injured police officers, and damage to stadium infrastructure – this is not a football match, this is a serious public disturbance and violence.
“In light of the disturbances and the endangerment of human lives ahead of the scheduled football match at Bloomfield Stadium, The Israel Police has informed the teams, team management, and referees that it has been decided not to allow the match to take place.
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“We call on the fans to remain in place until a calm and orderly dispersal takes place.”
Shortly after the decision was announced, Maccabi Tel Aviv confirmed the news on social media, writing: "Following the police's decision, it was determined that the Tel Aviv derby will not take place tonight."
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans Banned From Aston Villa match
Ahead of their Europa League game against Aston Villa on November 6, the Premier League side released a statement to confirm that the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) had informed them that fans of the Israeli club would not be allowed to attend the match.
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In anticipation of the match, SAG held a meeting in which West Midlands Police advised against allowing Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to attend amid reported plans of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests.
"West Midlands Police have advised the SAG that they have public safety concerns outside the stadium bowl and the ability to deal with any potential protests on the night," the official statement from Aston Villa read.
However, it appears that the decision is not yet set in stone, with government officials working to reverse the call after Prime Minister Keir Starmer labelling it as 'the wrong decision' while committing to fight antisemitism 'in the streets'.
Meanwhile Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch labelled the decision a "national disgrace" with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage saying the decision "takes racial discrimination to a whole new level".
Topics: Football, Europa League, Aston Villa
Ben McCrum