Israeli football match is abandoned and 12 fans are arrested after they RIOTED, attacking ‘Arab team’s’ supporters with sticks for turning their backs on pre-match national anthem

Israeli football match is abandoned and 12 fans are arrested after they RIOTED, attacking ‘Arab team’s’ supporters with sticks for turning their backs on pre-match national anthem

  • Fans of Palestinian team Bnei Sakhnin turned their backs on Israeli anthem
  • Rival supporters of Hapoel Beer-Sheva stormed pitch and beat them with sticks
  • Ugly scenes led to 12 supporters of the Israeli side being arrested during riots 

Chaos descended on a football match in the Israeli Premier League, with 12 arrests made during riots on the pitch. 

Supporters of Bnei Sakhnin, a team historically backed by Israeli Arabs, turned their backs on the Israeli national anthem prior to kick-off. 

Furious fans of Hapoel Beer-Sheva then reacted by storming onto the pitch to fight their Sakhnin counterparts, even beating them with long sticks. 

Footage shows the brawl unfold with the weapons being used during violent confrontations.

Hundreds of people sprinted onto the turf to get involved in the ugly scenes and film from the stands captured the incident. 

Hapoel Beer-Sheva fans rioted and confronted supporters of Bnei Sakhnin

Footage showed sticks being used in the violent clashes on the pitch

Footage showed sticks being used in the violent clashes on the pitch 

RIVALRY EXPLAINED:  

Bnei Sakhnin are a team from a town of the same name, which has a majority Arab population. 

It is located on the border of Israel and the team are heavily supported by Palestinians and the Arab population within Israel itself. 

Hapoel Beer-Sheva are an Israeli club also competing in the same league and the historic political, religious and cultural tensions that permeate are also seen in sport, with Arab fans of Sakhnin infuriating their rivals by turning their back on the Israeli national anthem.  

All 12 of the rioters arrested were Hapoel Beer-Sheva fans and the players and referees took shelter off the pitch.

Following the brawl, the match had been scheduled to start again but Bnei Sakhnin players refused to return to the pitch. 

‘We are prepared to face the consequences of not appearing for the match,’ the club officially stated, saying that the squad did not feel safe. 

An hour after the proposed new kick off time – the league announced that the match would not take place. 

A statement from the Israeli Premier League read: ‘After Hapoel Beer-Sheva fans stormed the pitch and the Sakhnin players went to the locker rooms, the police commander at the stadium informed the Sakhnin players that there were no obstacles to holding the match, and police forces were deployed to ensure the game’s proper conduct. 

‘Despite this, some Sakhnin players refused to return to the field. The match will not take place today, and the matter will be referred to the disciplinary committee for resolution.’

And the police added: ‘This evening, during the national anthem, before the kickoff of the football match between Hapoel Beer-Sheva and Bnei Sakhnin, dozens of fans from both teams stormed the pitch and started a violent brawl. 

When fans of Hapoel Beer-Sheva saw their rivals turn their backs on the Israeli national anthem, they ran onto the pitch to confront them and spark violent clashes

When fans of Hapoel Beer-Sheva saw their rivals turn their backs on the Israeli national anthem, they ran onto the pitch to confront them and spark violent clashes

‘The police forces present at the stadium acted quickly, restored order, and arrested 12 fans from both teams. 

‘Following the incident, Bnei Sakhnin’s players refused to resume the match, and the referee decided to cancel it.’

The violent scenes took place against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. 

The death toll in Gaza is now understood to be more than 40,780 men, women and children. The ongoing military action from Israel followed the October 7 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel which killed 1,200 people.




Source From: Football | Mail Online

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