Besiktas to play Maccabi Tel Aviv in Europa League match at neutral, empty venue in Hungary

By The Associated Press

In this image taken from video, police stand guard as Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters light flares at the Dam square, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo InterVision)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/InterVision]

LONDON (AP) — The Europa League match between Turkey’s Besiktas and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv, scheduled for Nov. 28, has been moved to a a neutral venue in Hungary, UEFA has announced. The match will now be played at the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen, Hungary after the Turkish government opted not to host the tie. The decision follows unrest after Maccabi’s recent Europa League game in Amsterdam, where at least five fans were injured in violent street attacks, after their team’s 5-0 loss to Ajax. The game will be played “behind closed doors.”