Tel Aviv Derby Postponed Following Major Disturbances
Bloomfield Stadium in the city was covered in haze ahead of the planned kick-off
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The Israeli Premier League derby involving one local team and Hapoel Tel Aviv was cancelled prior to kick-off on the weekend, after what police described as "public disorder and serious disturbances".
"Many of smoke devices and fireworks were set off," Israeli police stated on social media, noting "this isn't a football game, this is unrest and serious violence".
A dozen civilians and multiple police personnel were harmed, authorities reported, while several individuals were taken into custody and 16 questioned by police.
The disturbances happen just days after authorities in the Britain announced that supporters of the team should not be allowed to be present at the European competition fixture at Aston Villa in the UK next month because of public safety worries.
One team criticised the match postponement, accusing Israeli police of "preparing for a conflict, instead of a football match", particularly during meetings in the lead-up to the eagerly-awaited encounter.
"The disturbing situations outside the venue and due to the ill-considered and scandalous ruling to abandon the fixture only prove that the authorities has assumed command over the sport," Hapoel Tel Aviv announced publicly.
Maccabi Tel Aviv has not yet commented, merely stating the fixture was abandoned.
The judgment by security authorities to exclude club followers from the Birmingham game on 6 November has sparked widespread criticism.
The government officials has since said it is attempting to reverse the ban and exploring what additional resources might be necessary to make certain the match can be held without incident.
Aston Villa informed their security personnel that they did not have to work at the match, explaining they understood that some "may have concerns".
On Thursday, local authorities said it backed the restriction and designated the game as "high risk" due to information and past events.
That included "serious fights and discrimination incidents" between Ajax and followers before a match in Amsterdam in the previous year, when numerous persons were taken into custody.
There have been demonstrations at various athletic competitions over the situation in Gaza, for instance when the national team competed against the Scandinavian team and Italy in recent football World Cup qualifiers.
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