November 12 – The Europa League match between Beşiktaş and Maccabi Tel Aviv will be played in Debrecen, Hungary behind closed doors. UEFA has made the announcement after the Turkish authorities refused to allow the game to go ahead in Istanbul.
Beşiktaş will host Maccabi Tel Aviv at the Nagyerdei Stadium on 28 November 28. Hungary was the only country that has accepted to host the match.
The match will be played behind closed doors following the unrest that took place on the streets of Amsterdam following the visit of Maccabi Tel Aviv to Ajax last week.
“Following negotiations between UEFA, Beşiktaş JK, UEFA associated football federations and local authorities, it has been decided that UEFA Europa League match between Beşiktaş and Maccabi Tel Aviv will be played in Debrecen, Hungary, which is the only country that has accepted to host the match,” said Beşiktaş in a statement.
“However, in light of the recent incidents that occurred between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters, the match will take place without spectators…
“We kindly ask our supporters to cancel their travel plans for this match to avoid possible inconveniences.”
The relocation follows the violence last week after the match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax. Clashes broke out as pro-Palestinian supporters retaliated against Maccabi fans after being provoked. Dutch authorities confirmed the arrest of five more suspects, aged between 18 and 37, linked to the attack. This brings the total number of detentions to 68, as police previously apprehended 63 people shortly after the incident.
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1734914104labto1734914104ofdlr1734914104owedi1734914104sni@o1734914104fni1734914104