TEL AVIV: There was anger Monday in Israel after police banned the Israeli Premier League’s Tel Aviv derby amid chaotic scenes, triggering complaints from the clubs and political opposition.
The crowd trouble at Sunday’s abandoned match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv comes amid tensions over a ban preventing Israeli fans from attending an upcoming Europa League away game against English side Aston Villa.
The match in Tel Aviv was called off after what a police spokesman described as “disorderly conduct, riots, the hurling of objects, smoke grenades, fireworks, injured officers and damage to the stadium infrastructure.”
Speaking to public broadcaster KAN, he said: “This is not a soccer game: this is severe disorder and violence.”
After the police order, the Bloomfield Stadium, the home ground for both teams, was evacuated, with police on horseback intervening to control the 30,000 fans.
