Maccabi Tel Aviv has earned a spot in the Israeli Winner Cup final against Hapoel Jerusalem without the need to play a semifinal match. This occurred because Hapoel Tel Aviv chose to forfeit the semifinal.
The decision to forfeit was prompted by the police’s requirement to scan every fan’s ID number for security reasons, resulting in extensive queues outside the venue.
Hapoel Tel Aviv wrote the following message on their social media accounts.
“Sports fans – not criminals!
Starting in the morning we began to receive messages from which we understood that the Israeli police treated tonight’s game as a war event in which the fans included, from the age of eight to eighty, women, and children – all of them were potential criminals.
In light of the attitude in which the audience was treated at the entrance to the hall, we decided that there was no point in going up to play tonight.
The sport belongs to the fans!”
Following this choice, Hapoel Tel Aviv could potentially be subject to a fine of up to 100,000 euros.
Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Winner Cup final by forfeit of Hapoel Tel Avivhttps://t.co/SMGt0MScqT
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) September 28, 2023
