Maccabi Tel Aviv football club banned

I suppose the alternative would be to allow the fans in but warn them that as soon as they start chanting “death to all Arabs” or tearing down any Palestinian flags etc, that they would be arrested before any trouble could start.

They would then be sent packing back to Israel, where they can shout their unpleasant messages to their hearts content.

Before anyone misinterprets, by saying we have enough, it's trouble makers, we dont need Maccabi.

Look what happened in Amsterdam! They should be banned from leaving their country we don't want them we've got enough already.

Surprising that it needed explaining, escaped, but yes, it did.

My DS was a member of a team, I was a supporter (if not necessarily a fan of football).

My understanding of the word team is the 11 players who are selected for the game. We see the line up of the team announced just before the match

There may be other members of the squad who sit on the bench waiting to be called up as substitutes.

Then there are other club members such as the manager, the coaches, and medical and administrative staff.

Then there are supporters or fans.

I've never heard the terms being interchangeable. My DGS's family are not part of the team when they go to support the team in which he plays, if that makes sense.

The Maccabi Tel Aviv fan base

What about the team, as some posters are claiming?

This from Wikipedia
“The Maccabi Tel Aviv fan base is known to include far-right ultra groups[34][35] that have been involved in racist incidents in Israel in the past, including directing racist abuse at Arab and black players on their own team.[6][36][37] In March, prior to a game against Olympiacos F.C. in Athens, a man carrying a Palestinian flag was taken to hospital after an altercation with a group of Maccabi fans.[5][36][38] Other European matches played by Maccabi Tel Aviv this season had passed without violence,[36] although a Men's National League game between Belgium and Israel, on 6 September 2024, had to be played behind closed doors in Hungary, after the Royal Belgian Football Association had declined to host the match due to security concerns”.

Maremia

Are you therefore Oreo saying that what those Particular fans did in Amsterdam is acceptable?
Only answer if you wish.

But you don't know if those particular fans will be coming here if they were allowed.

Tarring all the fans with the behaviour of a few is like blaming every Jewish person for what the Israeli Government is doing is it not?

I don’t understand why people can’t take the politics away from it all and just look at what happened in Amsterdam and decide that we can’t take the risk of it happening here if it can be avoided.

Just trying to gauge what some GNs feel is acceptable behaviour.

Are you therefore Oreo saying that what those Particular fans did in Amsterdam is acceptable?
Only answer if you wish.

No, putting aside, temporarily, the issue of pro Palestine expected agro,
Just focusing on the behaviour as seen in the past of the Maccabe fans who chanted racist songs, attacked bystanders in Amsterdam, do GNs see anything in the behaviour of those fans that might explain concern.
Or is it just a case of, well it's just a few lively fans,
that's what fans do?

Millwall fans , or a proportion of them used to be frightening.
Maybe they’re better now, but football is such a tribal thing.
There are matches played in some countries where there are killings after the match ends and mass brutal brawls.
Google it.

Oreo

By team I mean the fans of the team.

Maybe that was what was meant earlier by team though it wasn't very clear.

I'd be very surprised if anyone thinks bad behaviour related to football is acceptable any time, any where.

What are you trying to say??

That some posters think football hooliganism is acceptable?

That pro-Palestinian groups might attack football fans and posters think this is acceptable?

What, exactly?

🤔

By team I mean the fans of the team.

No football related violence is acceptable but you do realise there is a core in every team in the world that’s happy to dish it out?
We either ban all international matches, not allowing any fans to travel here, and equally ban all away fans here from travelling abroad to matches, or we provide security.

I have no idea about the team. Nothing so far about their behaviour.
I have seen an awful lot about the shocking behaviour of PARTICULAR fans, and I want to ask GNs, who are concerned about anti -semitism, are you in fact saying that this behaviour is in any way acceptable?

All my Jewish friends are horrified by the ban.

The local pro Palestinians will be spoiling for a fight, but in the UK we don’t let minorities decide who comes here or not.

Any bystanders won’t be innocent they will be there for a reason.
The government are doing their best to change things so that Israeli fans can attend, and if they do then security will be put in place.
Then we can see how the anti Israel crowds respond.

growstuff

escaped

The vast majority of supporters are not there to cause violence. Lathyrus and other posters are correct in saying that such acts are contrary to any club's values and to any normal supporter's values.

My DGS plays for an international club at Academy level. This year over 1000 players from 30 countries, plus many more supporters lived abroad side by side for a week in perfect harmony to compete in numerous matches. They included teams from Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Jordan, including representation from Jews etc.

It's only once out in the world of hatred and harassment that the beautiful game is spoilt by a small minority of people whose only agenda is to cause trouble and attack the supporters of the Israeli team. More often than not, they have nothing to do with football, but as Kate1949 says, use the occasion as an excuse for mayhem and violence.

Are you aware of Maccabi Tel Aviv's reputation withing Israel itself? When there was the trouble in Holland last year, I was speaking to a Jewish friend, who had lived in Israel, about the team. They are known for anti-Arab racism and shouting obscene and racist chants at Israeli Arab and non-Israeli Muslims players in Israeli teams. They are not the innocents you seem to think they are. It's the club's responsibility to clean up its fans behaviour, just as other clubs (including some British ones) have had to do.

In Holland last year there was recorded chanting and at least one physical attack on a Muslim taxi driver, including the tearing town of Palestinian flags from private properties and an attack on a private house. Dutch fans were provoked and responded and five were prosecuted. Nothing was done about the Maccabi fans because they had left the country and the club has taken no action.

Aston Villa has already suffered hooliganism from Legia Warsaw away fans in 2023, which resulted in the banning of the Polish team's away fans for five matches. Recently, Ajax fans were banned from travelling to an away match in Marseille. Banning away fans has become more common. Maccabi Tel Aviv has not been picked on because it's Israeli.

I was speaking to a Jewish friend, who had lived in Israel, about the team. They are known for anti-Arab racism and shouting obscene and racist chants at Israeli Arab and non-Israeli Muslims players in Israeli teams.

It's the club's responsibility to clean up its fans behaviour, just as other clubs (including some British ones) have had to do.

I'm confused growstuff, do you mean the team is racist or the fans are racist?

I can change my mind when new evidence emerges. I am not saying I am right but I will see what plays out over the next few days.
I just hope that if Maccabi fans come that no innocent bystanders are hurt if the crowd becomes violent. However many police are there some people could be injured.
The only way this could work is for the plan I mentioned earlier to escort the Maccabi fans to and from the match on buses. This has been done before and I think it's the safest way for all.

And you were right the first time.

AGAA4

If there is a severe safety issue then ban all fans. Have a closed matches as they did in the pandemic.
I do think it's sending the wrong message to ban Maccabi.
The fault lies with people who seem to believe all Jews are responsible for Gaza. It's utterly ridiculous.

Earlier in the thread you believed differently….