Maccabi Tel Aviv returned to European competition Wednesday for the first time since its fans were attacked in Amsterdam, preparing for a relocated Europa League match against Turkey’s Besiktas to be played without spectators in Hungary.
The match, scheduled for Thursday at Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen, was moved from Istanbul and closed to fans following the November 7 violence in Amsterdam that sent five people to hospitals and led to multiple arrests. Dutch authorities had characterized those attacks as antisemitic.
“It’s not a question for me what happened outside of the stadium. We saw some videos and everything, but we really try to focus on football,” Maccabi head coach Zarko Lazetic told reporters Wednesday. “We’ll see tomorrow what is the effect.”
The Amsterdam incidents occurred after authorities banned pro-Palestinian demonstrations outside the Ajax match. Video showed Israeli fans chanting anti-Arab slogans en route to the stadium, followed by youths on scooters and foot attacking Israeli supporters throughout the city, according to Amsterdam’s mayor.
Besiktas had requested its home fixture be moved to “neutral ground” over security concerns, with Hungary emerging as the only willing host nation. Hungarian authorities required the match be played behind closed doors. The country has previously hosted several Israeli national team games since the Gaza war began.
Maccabi press officer Ofer Ronen-Abels maintained Wednesday that the Amsterdam events “had nothing to do with football.” The team completed its final practice at Tel Aviv’s Kiryat Shalom complex before departing for Hungary.
