🔗 Share this article Tel Aviv Derby Called Off Due to Serious Unrest Bloomfield Stadium in the city was engulfed by smoke ahead of the scheduled start Issued October 19, 2025 at 10:27 PM BST Updated 9 minutes ago The Israeli Premier League rivalry match featuring Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was cancelled prior to kick-off on Sunday, following what law enforcement described as "crowd trouble and violent riots". "Dozens of smoke grenades and fireworks were thrown," authorities posted on social media, adding "this cannot be considered a match, this is disorder and major hostilities". A dozen civilians and several officers were injured, officials confirmed, while several individuals were taken into custody and 16 questioned by police. The disturbances occur just a short time after officials in the United Kingdom announced that supporters of the team cannot be permitted to go to the international tournament game at Aston Villa in Britain in November because of security issues. One team criticised the match postponement, alleging Israeli police of "getting ready for a war, not a game", particularly during discussions in the preparation to the eagerly-awaited fixture. "The shocking events around the arena and following the ill-considered and outrageous judgment not to hold the fixture only prove that the law enforcement has seized authority in the football," the team stated officially. Maccabi Tel Aviv has not yet commented, except to confirm the fixture was abandoned. The decision by security authorities to prohibit Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the Birmingham game on the sixth of November has triggered extensive disapproval. The government officials has subsequently stated it is working to overturn the ban and exploring what additional resources might be necessary to guarantee the game can be hosted safely. Villa notified their matchday stewards that they could choose not to participate at the fixture, explaining they acknowledged that some "may have concerns". On Thursday, law enforcement stated it supported the restriction and categorized the match as "concerning" based on intelligence and previous incidents. That involved "physical confrontations and bigotry-related acts" between the Dutch team and their supporters ahead of a match in the Netherlands in November 2024, when over sixty individuals were arrested. There have been protests at various athletic competitions concerning the war in Gaza, such as when the national team competed against the Scandinavian team and Italy in recent football World Cup qualifiers. Associated subjects The sport Additional reports Support your side with sports coverage Released 48 hours prior Tune into current match analysis Receive sports updates delivered directly to your phone Published August 16