The atmosphere looks sad, a far cry from the party scenes that accompany Dubai’s matches this season in the Euroleague. The Emirati club, rookie in the most prestigious basketball club event in the Old Continent, announced on its social networks that the arrival of the Maccabi Tel-Aviv team, this Tuesday at 5 p.m. (French time) during the 16th day of the competition would be played behind closed doors.
A decision taken for security reasons in a geopolitical context of war in the Middle East. Since the start of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, in response to the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, the meetings of Israeli teams involved in European Cups have been tightly supervised to avoid any excess.
Maccabi is considered the Israeli “nation club”. Many fans come to each match to support the players.
Heavy security in Paris and closed doors in Spain
On October 17, several hundred police officers were mobilized around the Adidas Arena in Paris to prevent any excesses during the arrival of Hapoel Tel-Aviv for a Euroleague match on the Paris Basketball court.
Earlier in the season, the Valencia club opted for behind closed doors to host Hapoel Tel-Aviv, still in the Euroleague. The Spanish club thus respected the recommendations of local authorities and the government, which did not prevent numerous pro-Palestinian demonstrations and the arrest of several individuals.
The move will deprive the UAE club of the valuable support of their thousands of fans at the Coca-Cola Arena in a match between two mid-table teams.
