Turkish 'protesters' stormed the soccer pitch and attacked Maccabi Haifa players during an exhibition match against a French team in Austria on Thursday night. The Maccabi players had to be escorted off the field by police in what was supposed to have been a 'friendly' match.
The protesters, who were holding up Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO) flags and were reportedly of Turkish origin, stormed the field as
the game against the French soccer team Lille was going on. They
proceeded to spit at, curse and kick the Israeli players. Some of the
players retaliated, leading to a brawl on the field.
No one was injured, and the Haifa players were taken off the field by
police officers and instructed to remain in the locker room until
things calm down.
Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat reacted to the incident and
said, “This is a dangerous and seemingly pre-planned incident, and we
must not ignore it.”
Maccabi Haifa said in a statement following the incident, "We
experienced an unpleasant experience of violence on the field and in the
stands. We as a club call for co-existence and patience but this attack
was planned and dangerous in light of the incitement in the Turkish
media.”
“We deplore the violence against us, we came to play soccer and we
are sorry that this how the game ended, but this did not happen because
of the sport and because of soccer, but because we are a group
representing Israel.”
If you think there are no more Nazis in this world, think again. A Nazi gang burst into a Rome pub shouting anti-Jewish slogans and stabbed a British soccer fan on Wednesday night.
A 100-strong gang of well-drilled, heavily armed yobs yelling anti-Jewish
chants stormed a Rome pub where Ashley Mills, 25, was drinking with Spurs
pals.
The fascist thugs, known as Ultras, ruthlessly targeted Spurs because of their
historic Jewish links, police feared last night.
Ashley was stabbed and nine others injured when hooligans armed with knives,
clubs, knuckle-dusters, rocks and tear gas struck the bar.
Two men have been charged with attempted murder after English football fans
were attacked in Rome, police said today.
Officers said two Roma fans - Francesco Ianari, 26, and Mauro Pinnelli, 25 -
were had been charged.
Witnesses said they heard cries of “Jews” during the pre-planned attack on
Tottenham supporters ahead of last night’s Europa League game against Lazio.
Lazio louts inside their stadium chanted “Juden Tottenham” — using the German
word for Jew — during the 0-0 draw. A banner proclaiming “Free Palestine”
was unfurled.
And it emerged the first two suspects arrested were fans of the city’s other
big team, Roma — stoking suspicions the gang was a mix of far-right
extremists.
I have a non-Jewish colleague from New York who moved to London with whom I have gotten together a couple of times over the years. He told me that he went to one British soccer game when he first moved to England and decided never again. He said it was too dangerous. I'm inclined to agree. Fortunately for him, the NFL now comes to London once a year.
I shudder to think what it's like when Israelis play there (although most of the trouble I can recall over the last few years has involved Turkey).
I have a former colleague from my New York days who jumped ship and joined a large London law firm. A couple of years ago, I was in London and dropped by to see him, and he told me that what he missed most about the US was being able to go to games. He told me that he tried going to one 'football match' in England and never had felt like he was in so much danger as during that match.
On Wednesday night in Egypt, a soccer match between Port Said al-Masry and al-Ahli turned ugly. 73 people are dead and more than 1,000 wounded.
Let's go to the videotape. There will be more after the video.
So what do al-Masry and al-Ahli have against each other?
Angry politicians and sports officials decried a lack of security at the match between Port Said team al-Masry and Al Ahli, one of Egypt's most successful clubs, and blamed the nation's leaders for allowing - or even causing - the tragedy.
Wednesday's trouble flared at the end of a match when al-Masry beat Al Ahli 3-1.
"This is unfortunate and deeply saddening. It is the biggest disaster in Egypt's soccer history," Deputy Health Minister Hesham Sheiha told state television.
Witnesses said trouble broke out when Ahli fans unfurled banners insulting Port Said and an Ahli supporter descended onto the pitch carrying an iron bar. Al-Masry fans reacted by pouring onto the pitch and attacking Ahli players. They then turned to the terraces to attack Ahli supporters.
Most of the deaths were among people who were trampled in the crush of the panicking crowd or who fell from terraces, witnesses said.
Live television coverage showed fans running onto the field and chasing Ahli players. A small group of riot police formed a corridor to try to protect the players, but they appeared overwhelmed and fans were still able to kick and punch the players as they fled.
Israel Radio reported that al-Ahli had been heavily favored in the game.
Am I the only one who noticed all those police milling around behind the net when the trouble started? Could they have prevented it?
And note what started it: An insult. There's that Arab Muslim 'honor' again.
Another match in Cairo was halted by the referee after receiving news of the violence in Port Said, prompting fans to set parts of the stadium on fire, television footage showed.
My friend in London is right. In the US, sports is intense and competitive, but it's usually not life or death. People don't usually try to kill each other over it (note - I said US not 'America' in deference to last spring's riots in Vancouver after the Stanley Cup finals). In the US, taking clients and customers to sporting events is part of the business scene.
I'm not aware of anyplace else in the world where that's true. I've never taken a client to a sporting event in Israel, and I've never watched the Zamboni go around here while talking business with a client. I wish sports could be that kind of equalizer here and in other countries. Sadly, it is not.
Remember the Wikileaks story about the fight between fans of the Jordanian and 'Palestinian' soccer teams? It's happened again.
Fans of rival Jordanian soccer teams clashed after a match, injuring 250 people in violence that pointed to the deep divisions between the nation's native Bedouin clans and its Palestinians.
Most of the injuries occurred when a large metal fence separating spectators from the playing field in the Amman stadium collapsed during Friday night's unrest between fans of national teams Wehdat and Faisali, said police spokesman Colonel Ahmed Abu-Hamad. Thirty policemen were among the injured, he said.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
