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Of course the fans should be allowed. You get a minority of hooligan “supporters” in most if not all the clubs. Keep the politics out of sport.
So, what happens when Palestinians want to travel abroad and support their team?
I’m sure they would be most welcome here Moe. I don’t think any British team will be playing a Palestinian team anytime soon though unless in a friendly for charity.
“Keep the politics out of sport.”
Politics and sport have been intertwined for many years. See the 1936 Olympics or the more recent awarding of the World Cup to oil states for example.
But why ban fans who have nothing to do with the atrocities in Gaza?
It’s Netanyahu who should be banned or should I say stripped of the Israeli premiership and sent to court for war crimes, not innocent people. He comes out of it looking good having agreed the peace deal.
This is what people are (perhaps deliberately) misunderstanding:
They’re not banning the supporters for their political views. The ban is for safety reasons.
There is a difference.
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces arrest if he travels to the UK, after an international arrest warrant was issued for him, Downing Street has indicated.
A No 10 spokesman refused to comment on the specific case but said the government would fulfil its “legal obligations”.
On Thursday the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, along with Israel’s former defence minister Yoav Gallant, over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
The court’s member countries, including the UK, have signed a treaty that obliges them to act on arrest warrants.
Asked whether Netanyahu would be detained if he entered the UK, the prime minister’s official spokesman refused to comment on “hypotheticals”.
However, he added: “The government would fulfil its obligations under the act and indeed its legal obligations”But why ban fans who have nothing to do with the atrocities in Gaza?
Not directly perhaps, but as would be expected of the less savoury cohort that football attracts, MTV fans (some? many? most?) seem to revel in it
The Maccabi Tel Aviv fan base is known to include far-right ultra groups[32][33] that have been involved in racist incidents in Israel in the past, including directing racist abuse at Arab and black players on their own team.[6][34][35] In March, prior to a game against Olympiacos F.C. in Athens, a man carrying a Palestinian flag was taken to hospital after an altercation with a group of Maccabi fans.[5][34][36] Other European matches played by Maccabi Tel Aviv this season had passed without violence,[34] although a Men’s National League game between Belgium and Israel, on 6 September 2024, had to be played behind closed doors in Hungary, after the Royal Belgian Football Association had declined to host the match due to security concerns.[37]
Prelude
The match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv was a Europa League group stage match held at the Johan Cruyff Arena. Ahead of the game, Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema prohibited pro-Palestinian protests near the stadium due to concerns over possible violence.[12] Halsema requested an additional threat assessment from the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV), noting increased tensions due to the Gaza war and the upcoming commemoration of the Kristallnacht, but the NCTV found no specific threats.[12] Mossad agents joined the football team on their trip to “provide maximum protection”,[38][39] and Amsterdam increased its police presence in the city centre the night before the match.[40]After the event, Israel claimed that it had warned the Dutch government of a potential threat to Israelis and Jews in the Netherlands, but the Netherlands denied this.[12] The match was not initially flagged as high-risk, as Ajax is traditionally associated with Judaism, but the municipality nevertheless decided to treat it as such.[12] Local authorities cited concerns over the potential for conflict in various areas,[40][41] as “distressing” incidents targeting minorities—including Jews, Muslims and Palestinians specifically—had occurred before.[19] A pro-Palestinian protester, who had called for a boycott of Maccabi Tel Aviv to match the boycott of Russian teams, had been attacked by Ajax supporters near Central Station on 2 November 2024.[8]
Riots
6 November
Tensions rose on the evening of 6 November, when 200 Maccabi supporters walked through the city centre and taxi drivers shouted “free Palestine” when passing them.[12] There were also reports of Maccabi supporters shouting “**** you Palestine”.[8][42]A group of Maccabi Fanatics chased two men, beating one with a belt as he tried to escape in a taxi.[12] After the police arrived, the group ran away, joining other Maccabi ultras, nearly all of whom wore black clothing instead of team colours, walking towards Rokin.[4][12] This group of around 50 Maccabi supporters gathered in front of Villa Mokum, a squat where several Palestinian flags were displayed.[3][4]
Residents of the squat barricaded themselves inside while one of the ultras ripped the flags off.[3][4] Maccabi fans reportedly kicked the doors and tried to enter the house, threatening to kill the residents.[7] Video footage showed a police car passing without stopping, leading to criticism on social media.[8] A group of supporters vandalised a nearby taxi, including hitting the window with an object and trying to force the windows and doors open, while the driver was inside.[12][4][3]
Around 200 Israelis gathered in Holland Casino; two fans arrived bloodied. After their location was shared by a security guard, dozens of taxi drivers and scooters arrived at the casino.[4][12] 15–20 Maccabi supporters were chased inside. They were escorted out by police around closing time (3am).[12]
A Maccabi supporter was also chased into the canal around 3.15am and forced to yell “Free Palestine”, while people on the quay shouted Kankerjood (“cancer Jew”).[12][4][3] Around the same time, two Israeli men were beaten and their phones and passports stolen by a group of men arriving by taxi near Stopera.[12][3] Amsterdam police said they had prevented other disturbances, and that by 3.30am everything in the city had quietened down.[43]
After the incidents on Wednesday night and throughout Thursday, calls for attacks on Israeli supporters were shared via Telegram, Snapchat,[11] and WhatsApp.[4] At least one chat referred to it as a “Jew hunt”.[4]
7 November
Before the match
City officials met at 11am to discuss whether to cancel the game due to the “aggression shown by Maccabi supporters and the reaction of the taxi drivers”. They decided to let the game proceed, opening the stadium earlier to allow Israeli fans to clear the streets sooner, and asking the football clubs and taxi companies to avoid politics and maintain the peace.[19][12][4]That afternoon, pro-Palestinian demonstrators held a demonstration at Anton de Komplein [nl], about a kilometer from the football stadium. Some protesters attempted to move closer to the stadium, despite the protest ban, while a group of Ajax hooligans attempted to approach the protesters. The police successfully prevented both groups from reaching each other.[12] The commemoration of the Kristallnacht in the city centre proceeded without disruptions.[12]
Maccabi Fanatics also convened in the city centre at 1pm, in particular around Dam Square, displaying banners for Israeli soldiers and setting off flares.[4] They chanted, among other things, “**** the Arabs”.[8] Counterdemonstrators chanted anti-Israeli slogans.[44] Police instructed individuals displaying pro-Palestinian symbols or chanting slogans like “Free Palestine” to leave the square.[45]
At around 5pm, the Maccabi ultras moved towards the stadium, leading to fights in side streets and in Station Square.[44] On their way to the match, Israeli fans chanted “Olé olé olé, let the IDF win and **** the Arabs”,[4] and: “Why is there no school in Gaza? There are no children left there.”[46] At the stadium, a group of Maccabi fans interrupted a minute of silence for the victims of the 2024 Spanish floods with anti-Palestinian chanting and whistles.[12][47][48]
More at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_2024_Amsterdam_riotsA survey conducted in March 2012 by Yedioth showed that Maccabi Tel Aviv was the second-most popular team among Israeli football fans (23%) right after rivals Maccabi Haifa (28%). The same survey revealed that 33% of Tel Aviv residents support the team.[25]
Reports by the New Israel Fund have found Maccabi Tel Aviv as having the second-most racist fans in Israel, behind Beitar Jerusalem.[26][27][28]
Fans have been known to yell racist slurs and insults at Arab and black players.[29][30][31][27] Players on the team often face racist abuse from the team’s own fans.[31][32] Fans would yell anti-Arab slurs at Maharan Radi, an Arab player,[33][34] and yell monkey noises at Baruch Dego, an Ethiopian-Jewish player.[35][32]
During the 2020–2021 protests against Benjamin Netanyahu, Maccabi fans attacked protestors with batons and broken bottles.[34][36]
November 2024 Amsterdam riots
See also: November 2024 Amsterdam riots
In November 2024, Maccabi fans clashed with pro-Palestinian protestors in Amsterdam after a match against Ajax.[37] Prior to the clashes Maccabi fans attacked Arab residents of the city, stole and burned Palestinian flags, and yelled anti-Palestinian chants.[38][39] Four local individuals who attacked Maccabi fans were given jail terms by Amsterdam district couMaccabi Fanatics
Maccabi has one main fan organization, “Maccabi Fanatics”, which are located in Gate 11. Maccabi Fanatics are close friends with VAK410 (Ajax ultras) since the 2000s.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maccabi_Tel_Aviv_F.C.#Supporters_and_politics
I wonder how much of the increase in the price of a pint is linked to ludicrous property prices and therefore the price of rent, rates etc
Plays a part no doubt, though the recent spike is more likely to be due to an increase in the price of malting-barley following a poor crop in 2024. This year’s is better apparently.
Ditto bread etc, due to a similarly poor wheat crop in 2024
If they can’t even behave at home, what chance have they got of doing so overseas?
Away fans get banned for being violent thugs, simple as that. There are numerous examples both recently and down the years. Whilst the vast majority of fans are both Israeli and Jewish, neither is a requirement to be a fan of the club and neither is the reason they were banned. I can decide to support them if I want to.
Plays a part no doubt, though the recent spike is more likely to be due to an increase in the price of malting-barley following a poor crop in 2024. This year’s is better apparently.
Ditto bread etc, due to a similarly poor wheat crop in 2024
Fair point, similar is happening with coffee. Of course the British public has now been conditioned to blame it all on Labour.
Glad if you are going to post things gainst MTAV fans for you arguement for not wanting them over at least get the background story
Hapoel have even said that its was dwon to the police heavy handed approach and wanted to meat out force to both sets of fans, just as it was back in the 7s the so called football firms, we from down here (London) knew going up to play leeds would be up against the biggest football form in the UK the west yorkshire( I for one had many a good hiding off them)
We know why MTAV fans are banned down to politics not football violence, even the Villa fans at WHL yesterday were saying it, but lets bend to politics agenda. Only my view and been wrong many times.As Richard88 points out, this banning of MTV fans has been preceded by at least several other examples. Five minutes googling found these:
In 2023, UEFA banned Legia Warsaw from having any away supporters at five European games after violent clashes at a Europa Conference League game at Aston Villa.
As recently as last month, Ajax supporters were banned from travelling to Marseille for their Champions League fixture against Olympique Marseille
Eintracht Frankfurt fans will also be banned from an upcoming Champions League match at Napoli on 4 November.
Leeds United banned Galatasaray fans from attending the second leg at Elland Road, claiming that the safety of fans inside the stadium could not be guaranteed. This followed two fatal stabbings at the first leg
So why the hoo-hah around this latest banning? It seems to me to be just another case of banning a team’s supporters who have a history of causing violent disorder; and those getting a fit of the vapours about the banning might care to take a few seconds out to consider the wellbeing of those who’d be tasked with trying to enforce security if the ‘fans’ were allowed to attend
quick question Drone
do you think Galatasaray fans be banned from Manchester when they play City, Sparta Prague at WHL
these two far far worse than MTAV fans
I’ve no idea as I have next to no interest in football and none whatsoever in its supporters. All my remarks hitherto have been drawn from internet searches.
Attempting to draw up a league table of which club has the worst fans strikes me as a most depressing pastime and akin to differentiating between rocks and hard places.
However, I am concerned about the possible demise of Sheffield Wednesday as I was a regular on the kop at Hillsborough in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and have continued to have a soft spot for the Wise Old Owls ever since, despite having not attended a game for over 30 years.
A great shame if such an iconic name and ground disappear, I’m sure you’ll agree.
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