🔗 Share this article Tel-Aviv Local Rivalry Called Off Due to Major Disturbances The sports venue in Tel Aviv was engulfed by haze before the planned start Issued 22:27 BST on October 19, 2025 Updated 9 minutes ago The Israeli Premier League derby involving one local team and their city rivals was abandoned ahead of the start on the weekend, due to what law enforcement described as "crowd trouble and major clashes". "Numerous of smoke grenades and fireworks were set off," law enforcement announced on online platforms, noting "this is not a match, it represents unrest and serious violence". Twelve people and several officers were harmed, police said, while several individuals were arrested and 16 detained for questioning. The unrest occur just a brief period after representatives in the Britain announced that followers of the club ought to be banned to go to the Europa League game at Aston Villa in the UK next month because of security issues. The local club condemned the game abandonment, claiming authorities of "preparing for a conflict, instead of a football match", particularly during talks in the build-up to the highly-anticipated encounter. "The alarming situations near the stadium and due to the irresponsible and scandalous judgment not to hold the match only show that the authorities has assumed command over the game," Hapoel Tel Aviv stated officially. Maccabi Tel Aviv has remained silent, only acknowledging the fixture was abandoned. The judgment by the local safety committee to prohibit club followers from the English fixture on November 6 has provoked extensive disapproval. The British authorities has subsequently stated it is working to overturn the restriction and investigating what extra measures might be needed to guarantee the match can be held without incident. The English club informed their security personnel that they could choose not to participate at the match, saying they understood that some "could be worried". On the previous day, law enforcement stated it supported the restriction and designated the game as "high risk" due to information and previous incidents. That included "physical confrontations and hate-crime offences" between the Dutch team and followers ahead of a game in Amsterdam in November 2024, when more than 60 people were arrested. There have been rallies at several games concerning the conflict in Gaza, for instance when the national team competed against Norway and the European team in recent qualification games. Related topics The sport Additional reports Follow your club with sports coverage Released recently Listen to the latest match analysis Obtain match information sent straight to your phone Published August 16