Hapoel Tel Aviv fans clash with police, accuse them of criminal violence / News - Basketnews.com

Hapoel Tel Aviv fans were involved in an incident during halftime during which local police had to be involved. While police maintain that the use of force was necessary, Hapoel fans accuse them of using excessive measures.

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The Winner Cup final between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv featured a fierce fight on the court that ended only after overtime. However, one thing that happened off the court raised similar amounts if not even more attention.

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During halftime, some Hapoel fans reportedly tried to enter the arena in Hadera without having tickets to the match. According to several witnesses, a number of them were successful.

With security being unable to fully deal with the crowd, the local police joined in dealing with the chaos.

"During halftime, some fans who did not purchase tickets tried to enter the hall and jumped over the fences. Security guards who tried to prevent this encountered resistance, and the police worked to rescue them," a report released by the local police states. "In protest, the fans blocked the entrance, refused to return to the stand, and rioted, so the police removed them using reasonable force to restore order and prevent disaster."

Meanwhile, Hapoel fans accuse the police officers of using unsolicited violence against them. According to them, many innocent fans suffered because of a few others. Several fans claim to have suffered because they were smoking in the area.

In a video that documents several moments of the entire incident, a police officer can be seen tackling a man while other fans are being kept inside the building. Hapoel fans later identified the officer and are currently pushing for sanctions against him.

"The evil in their eyes is something I haven't experienced in a very long time," one fan that was interviewed after the incident claims.

During the third quarter of the match, several hundred of the remaining Hapeol fans left the arena in protest of what happened during halftime. First, half of the stand behind the basket was empty until ultimately the entire Hapoel stand was left empty.

Hapoel fans were also heard chanting holocaust phrases towards Maccabi player Guy Pnini and wishing death to Maccabi owner Shimon Mizrahi before and during the match.

Former Maccabi player Scottie Wilbekin was in attendance.

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