Maccabi Tel Aviv-Besiktas soccer game moved to Hungary, behind closed doors, after Amsterdam violence

The Europa League match between Besiktas and Maccabi Tel Aviv has been moved from Istanbul to Debrecen in Hungary, UEFA announces.

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

The decision comes after a wave of violence in Amsterdam last week when Maccabi Tel Aviv played Ajax in the Europa League.

Israeli officials said 10 citizens were injured in the attacks after the game, which were apparently committed by local Arab and Muslim gangs. Hundreds more Israelis huddled in their hotels for hours, fearing they could be attacked. Many said that Dutch security forces were nowhere to be found.

Besiktas had already announced that their match against Maccabi on November 28 would be played “in a neutral country” for security reasons, and said in a statement today 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 Istanbul club says.

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