Tel-Aviv Local Rivalry Postponed After Serious Unrest
Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv was covered in haze before the anticipated beginning
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The Israeli Premier League derby featuring one local team and their city rivals was cancelled prior to the start on Sunday, after what authorities characterized as "civil unrest and violent riots".
"Many of smoke devices and flares were launched," authorities announced on social media, emphasizing "this is not a sporting event, this is chaos and major hostilities".
Twelve civilians and three police personnel were hurt, police said, while nine people were detained and numerous others held for interrogation.
The clashes come just days after officials in the United Kingdom announced that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans should not be allowed to attend the European competition game at Aston Villa in the UK next month because of public safety worries.
Hapoel Tel Aviv condemned the game abandonment, accusing law enforcement of "gearing up for a battle, rather than a sporting event", even during meetings in the preparation to the eagerly-awaited encounter.
"The alarming events outside the stadium and after the irresponsible and scandalous decision not to hold the game only show that the law enforcement has assumed command over the game," Hapoel Tel Aviv announced publicly.
The other team has declined to speak, except to confirm the game was called off.
The ruling by Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group to prohibit club followers from the English fixture on 6 November has provoked extensive disapproval.
The UK government has later announced it is seeking to cancel the prohibition and considering what extra measures might be required to guarantee the match can be conducted securely.
Aston Villa told their security personnel that they were not required to attend at the fixture, explaining they recognized that some "could be worried".
On earlier in the week, West Midlands Police stated it endorsed the restriction and classified the match as "potentially dangerous" due to intelligence and past events.
That involved "serious fights and hate-crime offences" among Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv fans before a game in Amsterdam in the previous year, when more than 60 people were taken into custody.
There have been rallies at several athletic competitions concerning the war in Gaza, including when Israel faced Norway and Italy in current football World Cup qualifiers.
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