Turkish soccer club moves home game against Maccabi Tel Aviv to 'neutral country'

Besiktas says seeking suitable location for match, considered high-risk given Erdogan’s attacks on Israel and its leaders since Hamas massacre in Israel and start of Gaza war

The Europa League match between Besiktas and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv scheduled for November 28 in Istanbul will be played “in a neutral country,” the Turkish club announced on Monday.

“Negotiations are continuing between our club and UEFA regarding the country where the match will be played,” Besiktas said in a statement.

The meeting between the two clubs was considered high-risk, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan having stepped up his verbal attacks on Israeli leaders since the war in Gaza started with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre.

He has often lashed out at Israel for its conduct in the war, accusing it repeatedly of genocide and comparing it to Nazi Germany, while referring to Hamas as “freedom fighters” and hosting its leaders in Ankara.

In September, Erdogan said that the United Nations General Assembly should recommend the use of force if the UN Security Council fails to stop Israel’s campaigns against Iran-backed terror groups in Gaza and Lebanon.

Turkey halted all trade with Israel and applied to join a case at the World Court accusing it of genocide, which the Jewish state wholly rejects.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Anti-Israel demonstrations, encouraged by the Turkish government, have been taking place across the country since the war in Gaza erupted.

Last year, Israel advised its nationals and diplomats in Turkey to leave the country.