"The wellbeing and safety of our fans is paramount, the team said in a statement posted online. Our decision should be understood in that context. The club also said it had been working to stamp out racism within the more extreme elements of its fan base. Our first-team squad consists of Muslims, Christian and Jewish players and our fan base also crosses the ethnic and religious divide, it said."
"The team's decision came a day after Israeli police cancelled a match between Maccabi and its rival Tel Aviv team Hapoel before kickoff over what they described as public disorder and violent riots. The move by Israeli authorities to cancel the game stood in contrast with criticism by British and Israeli leaders of Birmingham City's decision to ban Maccabi fans from the November 6 match at Villa Park in Birmingham, central England."
Maccabi Tel Aviv will decline any tickets offered for the Europa League match in the United Kingdom, even if a local ban on its supporters is reversed. The club prioritizes the wellbeing and safety of fans and frames the decision as a response to hard lessons. The club reports efforts to stamp out racism within extreme elements of its fan base and highlights a diverse first-team squad and cross-ethnic, cross-religious fan base. Israeli police cancelled a domestic derby between Maccabi and Hapoel over public disorder and violent riots. UK and Israeli leaders differed on a local ban and the UK government considered overriding local authorities to allow attendance, though some politicians later questioned intervention.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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