Maccabi ultras to abandon Super Cup final in protest against Hapoel incident / News - Basketnews.com

In protest against the police measures taken in the Super Cup semifinal that resulted in a forfeit, Maccabi ultras - Gate 11 - will not attend the tournament's final.

Credit: Seffi Magriso/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Seffi Magriso/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Israeli basketball faces a public crisis after an unfortunate ending to the Super Cup semifinal between Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.

Thousands of fans were not let into the venue, as the local police took extra measures before the game that were considered highly unusual. Ultimately, Hapoel forfeited the game in protest against the measures and their result.

Maccabi ultras - Gate 11 - received backlash in local circles when the group was seen festive in the arena while other fans were not being let into the venue. The group released a statement explaining the situation.

Gate 11 sided with the fans and promised to abandon the upcoming Super Cup final on Sunday, encouraging their favorite team to do the same:

Sports fans, not criminals.

We understand the criticism, and it's important for us to explain the situation.

When we started to enter, they didn't check our IDs, and we were busy getting the equipment and people in. When we were already inside, we weren't connected to what was happening outside and were busy preparing for the game and setting up.

The songs in the stands were from the excitement of the start of the season and the derby. We did not celebrate a technical victory or the fact that the Hapoel fans were outside.

It's hard to understand these things in the stands. Until the last minute, we were convinced that the game would be postponed, but it would take place. We only began to understand the situation and the full picture before going out. We understand that it was not portrayed well on TV.

In retrospect, after we know all the details, we are sorry for the way it turned out. The matter is not an identity card check or Hapoel fans. We are against the Sports Ministry's campaign against people who come to see their team play, against the police's harassment of the fans, and against the treatment of the fans as criminals.

We call on the director to hold the semifinal match again, this time with fair treatment of the fans that will allow both audiences to enter. We will not make it to the final match that we reached in this way. And we also call on the team to join us.

The two clubs met on a football field on Tuesday. The matchup was marred by huge fan riots, which forced the game to start half an hour late. As such, extra measures were taken by the local police before the basketball game on Thursday.

Although the gates were opened a couple of hours before the start of the game, large queues started forming due to procedures law enforcement took. Each visitor was required to show an ID, spectators were checked with metal detectors, and even underage viewers were required to undergo the same procedures as adults.

The measure was a first in many years, an unusual happening in Israeli basketball. As such, many fans came without IDs and could not enter the hall.

Following the incident, Hapoel Jerusalem fans released a similar statement:

It's hard for us to write these words, but let's start from the end - we won't make it to the game on Sunday. What happened yesterday was bigger than any controversy regarding the behavior of any crowd. In recent years, draconian decisions have been made - time and time again - by the management, the police, and the Sports Ministry that all hurt the fans. The protest here is not related to Hapoel Tel Aviv - it is related to all of us.

Yesterday, it was them, and tomorrow it will be us. The police are trying to take ownership of the stands and the sport, we won't allow them to do it. The sport arose and was born for the fans and will always be for the fans. We expect the team not to take part in this scandal and not to go to the game. Fans are not criminals.

So far, there are no indications that either Hapoel Jerusalem or Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will miss the game.

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