Tel Aviv soccer derby canceled by police due to ‘violent riots’

By Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — The Tel Aviv soccer derby between Hapoel and Maccabi was canceled on Sunday after what police described as “public disorder and violent riots.”

The Israeli Premier League match was due to be played at Bloomfield Stadium, which is shared by the two Tel Aviv rivals, but videos on social media showed fans clashing with police both inside and outside the area.

In a statement Sunday, Israel Police said that 12 civilians and three police officers were injured in the unrest, with nine people arrested. Authorities said a further 16 people were detained for questioning.

Footage released by police showed pyrotechnics and smoke grenades being thrown from the stands before kickoff, and police said the decision to cancel the match was made due to “endangerment of human life.”

However, Hapoel criticized the police response in a statement Sunday, saying it “already seemed that the police were preparing for a war, not for a sporting event.”

“The shocking events outside the stadium, and the rash and scandalous decision not to hold the game, only demonstrate that Israel Police have taken control of the sport,” Hapoel said.

Maccabi has not commented on the incident, only to confirm the match had been canceled by police.

CNN Sports has reached out to Israel Police and Maccabi for comment.

Previous incidents

The scenes come after Maccabi fans were banned by local authorities in England from attending a Europa League game at Aston Villa next month because of security concerns.

West Midlands Police said in a statement that it had deemed the match to be high risk “based on current intelligence and previous incidents” and that it agreed with the decision by local authorities.

The ban preventing fans from attending next month’s match triggered condemnation from many politicians, sports organizations and Jewish groups, who have since tried to reverse the decision.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the police decision was “wrong” and added that the “the role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”

On Monday, a spokesperson for Downing Street said Starmer was doing “everything in his power to give Jewish communities the security they deserve.”

“We recognise the concerns raised by police due to previous incidents in Europe, and of course, acknowledge events over the last few days, and we condemn any violent behaviour,” the spokesperson added, when asked about the violent outbreaks in Tel Aviv on Sunday.

“We understand the UK Football Policing Unit are reaching out to their Israeli counterparts to gain an understanding what happened at last night’s match in Tel Aviv.”

Maccabi fans had also been targeted and involved in violent scenes last year when their team played Dutch side Ajax in Amsterdam.

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CNN’s Eugina Yosef and James Frater contributed reporting.