Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team is set to face Turkey's Besiktas in a Europa League match on Thursday without spectators after an incident in Amsterdam in which fans were attacked.
What Will the Match Look Like?
After recent violence targeting Israeli fans in Amsterdam, Thursday's match, which was initially scheduled for Istanbul, has been relocated to Hungary and will be played without fans at Nagyerdei Stadium in the city of Debrecen due to security concerns.
What Happened in Amsterdam?
The decision to move the game followed an incident earlier this month, where Maccabi fans were attacked in Amsterdam in what officials called antisemitic violence.
The November 7 clashes, which came after authorities banned pro-Palestinian demonstrations near the Ajax-Maccabi match, left five people hospitalized and dozens detained.
Video footage also showed Israeli fans chanting anti-Arab slogans on their way to the match.
In addition, according to Amsterdam's mayor, youths on scooters and on foot crisscrossed the city in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them.
Amsterdam's police commander described the attacks as having "an antisemitic character."
However, before the incident in Amsterdam, Besiktas requested that their Istanbul-hosted match against Maccabi be moved to neutral ground over security concerns.
This led to the match ultimately landing in Hungary—a country that has hosted other Israeli games amid ongoing security challenges since the war in Gaza began, which followed Hamas' October 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw the abduction of 250 others. Since then, Israel's military ground and air campaigns in Gaza have killed over 44,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Following the incident in Amsterdam, the city's mayor, police chief and chief prosecutor placed a ban on Lazio fans planning to travel to the Dutch capital for a Europa League game against Ajax next month.
"Lazio supporters are not welcome in Amsterdam" for the December 12 game, city officials said in a statement.
"The risk of (criminal) right-wing extremist, anti-Semitic, racist expressions and public disorder is too great," the statement added.
What Is Maccabi Saying?
At a press conference on Wednesday, Maccabi coach Zarko Lazetic said that his team was focused on the game regardless of the tensions.
"It's not a question for me what happened outside of the stadium. We saw some videos and everything, but we really try to focus on football," he said. "We'll see tomorrow what is the effect."
In addition, Maccabi's press officer Ofer Ronen-Abels dismissed any connection between the Amsterdam assaults and the sport on Wednesday stating the incident "had nothing to do with football."
As the players prepare for Thursday's showdown, the focus will undoubtedly remain on the game, but the lingering tension serves as a reminder of the challenges that extend far beyond the pitch.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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