Israel demands Dutch U-turn over ban on Israeli football fans

Israel has demanded that Dutch authorities overturn a ban on Israeli football fans attending a Europa League match this week, amid fears of violence and protests.

Supporters of Hapoel Beersheba have been barred from Thursday’s game against AZ Alkmaar after officials in the Dutch city declared the fixture a major security risk.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has raised the issue with his Dutch counterpart, Tom Berendsen, as Israel pushes for the decision to be reversed.

The Israeli foreign ministry said talks had taken place with Dutch officials, “demanding that Hapoel Beersheba fans be allowed to attend the match and that their safety be guaranteed inside and around the stadium”.

According to The Athletic, authorities in Alkmaar classified the game as “very high risk” because of concerns that protests could lead to clashes involving Israeli supporters.

The decision comes nearly two years after Israeli football fans were attacked in Amsterdam following a Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in November 2024.

The violence, which prompted international condemnation, saw Israeli supporters chased and assaulted in the streets, with several people injured.

The Netherlands’ main Jewish umbrella organisation, the Centraal Joods Overleg (CJO), has also condemned the decision, arguing that Israeli supporters are being penalised because of threats from others.

“Those who threaten are determining who is welcome,” the organisation said in a statement.

It added: “The lesson should have been that the authorities act in time against those making threats.”

Alkmaar mayor Anja Schouten defended the decision, telling Dutch broadcaster NH Nieuws: “We are not giving in to violence, but preventing the risk of violence from increasing.”

She said officials had received warnings suggesting the security threat was even greater than before the violence involving Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters in Amsterdam.

“The signals before Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv were even milder than the signals we are hearing now,” she said.

The ban also echoes the controversy in Britain last year, when Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters were prevented from attending their Europa League match against Aston Villa in Birmingham over safety concerns.

AZ Alkmaar said it respected the Dutch authorities’ decision and would follow their security instructions.

Israel’s foreign ministry said it and the Israeli embassy in The Hague “will continue working with the Dutch government and the mayor of Alkmaar to ensure that Hapoel Beersheba fans are permitted to attend the match and that their safety is guaranteed”.