The Israeli Premier League derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was abandoned before a ball was kicked on Sunday night after violent clashes between rival fans and police.
Social media footage showed that smoke grenades and fireworks were thrown onto the pitch at the Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, with 12 civilians and three police officers known to be injured at this stage.
A police statement detailed that “disorderly conduct” also took place outside the stadium. Nine suspects have been arrested, with 16 others detained for further questioning, and the match was called off with the police citing the “endangerment of human lives”.
The incident comes three days after the much-criticised call to ban Maccabi fans from attending next month’s Europa League match at Aston Villa in Birmingham, after a decision from Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG).
An Israeli police statement on Sunday’s events read: “Disorderly conduct, riots, object throwing, smoke grenades, fireworks, injured police officers, and damage to stadium infrastructure – this is not a football match, this is a serious public disturbance and violence.
“In light of the disturbances and the endangerment of human lives ahead of the scheduled football match at Bloomfield Stadium, the Israel police has informed the teams, team management, and referees that it has been decided not to allow the match to take place.
“We call on the fans to remain in place until a calm and orderly dispersal takes place.”
A Maccabi statement read: “Following the police’s decision, it was determined that the Tel Aviv derby will not take place tonight.”
Online footage also shows stones being thrown onto the pitch from the stands. Police announced the abandonment 20 minutes after the scheduled 8.30pm kick-off time, with around 25,000 spectators in the stands for the much-anticipated match.
Meanwhile, earlier on Sunday, energy secretary Ed Miliband warned that nowhere in the UK should be a “no-go area” for Jews and Israelis, after the decision to ban Maccabi fans for the European game on 6 November.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the decision last week, saying: “This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets.
“The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”
Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group – the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for every match at Villa Park – had issued the ban after West Midlands Police said they had classified the fixture as high risk.
They stated this decision had been made based on “current intelligence and previous incidents”, which included last season’s Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.
Violent clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli fans erupted ahead of the match, with five men handed prison sentences and more than 60 people detained in the riots.
