Belgian mayor blocks Hapoel Beersheba Europa League match over alleged safety concerns

The mayor emphasized that holding the match without spectators would not be a solution, saying, “Even then, there is still a risk that people will come to the stadium anyway.”

Hapoel Beersheba is expected to play in the Europa League, but it now appears that the team’s participation will not happen without challenges. The Belgian city of Leuven announced on Tuesday that it will not allow the club’s October match against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise to be held there.

The match against Union was scheduled to take place on October 22, but Leuven’s Mayor Mohamed Ridouani told the city council that, while “Union is welcome here, but in this case it is an Israeli team, and I am consistent in my position."

He explained that in the past, he had refused to allow the Belgian women’s national team to play against Israel in the city, here, and the match had been forced to change locations.

"For reasons of public safety, I announced that this match also cannot take place in Leuven," Ridouani said.

The mayor emphasized that holding the match without spectators would not be a solution, saying, “Even then, there is still a risk that people will come to the stadium anyway.”

In response to his remarks, the Belgian club said: “We received Leuven Municipality’s decision to prohibit the holding of our Europa League match against Hapoel Beersheba. We are in discussions with all the relevant parties in an attempt to find a solution. As soon as there is any news, we will immediately update the fans.”

Fear of harm coming to Israeli fans

A week earlier, on October 15, the Israeli champions are scheduled to face Dutch club AZ Alkmaar. However, pro-Palestinian organizations announced their opposition to Hapoel Beersheba traveling to the Netherlands.

“The arrival of hundreds of former IDF soldiers and supporters of genocide is unacceptable,” they wrote on social media.

As has happened in previous matches involving Israeli teams abroad, there are concerns that activists could organize with the aim of harming Israeli fans.