Maccabi Tel Aviv to face Turkish soccer team in empty Hungarian stadium
Turkey’s Besiktas asked to move match to ‘neutral ground’ over security concerns; Hungarian authorities requiring game be held behind closed doors after attacks on fans in Amsterdam
DEBRECEN, Hungary — The Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team returned to Europe on Wednesday for the first time since its fans were targeted in widespread, coordinated violence in the Netherlands earlier this month — attacks that were condemned as antisemitic by authorities in Israel and across Europe.
The team will face off Thursday against Turkey’s Besiktas in a Europa League match that was relocated to Hungary over security concerns. The contest at Nagyerdei Stadium in the city of Debrecen will be played without fans due to fears of further confrontations following the November 7 attacks, when Arab and Muslim gangs assaulted Maccabi fans after a game in Amsterdam, resulting in multiple injuries and an international backlash.
Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Zarko Lazetic told a news conference on Wednesday that his team was focused on its game, regardless of what tensions may exist elsewhere.
“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.”
Israeli and Dutch authorities as well as Jewish communal figures described the wave of attacks in Amsterdam following a Maccabi Tel Aviv match against Dutch club Ajax earlier this month as antisemitic and organized, detailing instances of roving gangs of pro-Palestinian youths roving the city on scooters and motorbikes, attacking anyone suspected of being Jewish or Israeli, and fleeing. Witnesses said that Dutch security forces were nowhere to be found as the Israeli tourists were ambushed by gangs of masked assailants who shouted pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel slogans while they hunted, beat, and harassed them.
Some have attempted to pin the violence on soccer hooliganism, noting that large crowds of Israeli fans had chanted anti-Arab slogans on their way to the match. Violence between rival clubs can sometimes break out as passions get heated even in the absence of geopolitical baggage.
Maccabi press officer Ofer Ronen-Abels said Wednesday the events in Amsterdam earlier this month “had nothing to do with football.”
Dutch authorities announced over 60 arrests related to incidents before and after the wave of assaults, but none directly tied to them.
There has been a general uptick in attacks on Jews and Israelis abroad amid anger over the war against Hamas in Gaza, which was sparked by the terror group’s October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel. Some 1,200 people were killed in the attack and 251 were kidnapped, nearly 100 of whom remain in captivity in Gaza.
Turkey, which has openly backed Hamas, has been among Israel’s most vociferous critics over the course of the war, degrading diplomatic and economic ties and leading efforts for increased international pressure or sanctions on Jerusalem.
The match had initially been scheduled for Besiktas’s home turf in Istanbul, but the Turkish team requested it be moved to “neutral ground” over security concerns. The request was made before the Amsterdam attacks.
The club later said on social media that Hungary was the only country willing to host the match and that Hungarian authorities requested it be played behind closed doors.
Hungary has hosted several home games for Israel’s national team for security reasons since the war in Gaza began.
Maccabi held its final practice session at the Kiryat Shalom training complex in Tel Aviv on Wednesday before departing for Hungary, the team said on its website.
