The highly anticipated Tel Aviv derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv, scheduled for October 19, 2025, descended into chaos and was ultimately canceled, sending shockwaves through the Israeli football community and igniting political debate both in Israel and the United Kingdom. What should have been a celebration of sport at Bloomfield Stadium, the shared home ground for both clubs, instead became a flashpoint for public disorder, police intervention, and international controversy.
According to statements from Israeli police, the match was called off due to “disorderly conduct, riots, the hurling of objects, smoke grenades, fireworks, injured officers and damage to the stadium infrastructure.” The violence erupted before the scheduled 8:30pm kickoff, with police reporting that five fans were arrested on suspicion of disturbing the peace and assaulting officers. Thirteen masked fans were detained for unlawful assembly, and video footage posted by authorities showed smoke bombs being hurled from the stands toward the police.
As the situation intensified, police on horseback moved in to disperse the crowd of approximately 30,000 fans. The intervention led to further chaos, with Hapoel Tel Aviv’s management later accusing officers of indiscriminate force: “From the preliminary discussions before the game, it seemed that the police were preparing for a war rather than a sports event,” the club stated on social media. “Everyone saw the harsh videos, children trampled by horses, police officers beating fans indiscriminately.” Hapoel’s statement further demanded that football authorities “regain control” of the sport from law enforcement, arguing that the police had overstepped their role.
The police, for their part, were adamant about the necessity of their actions. A spokesperson described the scene to public broadcaster KAN as “not a soccer game: this is severe disorder and violence.” Official police updates throughout the evening cited dozens of smoke grenades and pyrotechnic devices being thrown, with a total of 12 civilians and three police officers reported injured. Nine suspects were arrested and an additional 16 were detained for questioning in the aftermath.
Maccabi Tel Aviv, less vocal than their rivals, issued a brief confirmation: “Following the police’s decision, it was determined that the Tel Aviv derby will not take place tonight.” The cancellation echoed an earlier incident in November 2014, when the derby was abandoned at halftime after fans invaded the pitch and clashed with players—highlighting a long-standing rivalry that has, on occasion, boiled over into violence.
Sunday’s events did not occur in isolation. The derby’s cancellation came just days after Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group in the UK decided to ban Maccabi fans from attending next month’s UEFA Europa League away fixture at Aston Villa. The decision, based on “current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences” during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam, was cited by West Midlands Police as a necessary precaution. The Tel Aviv derby’s violence only intensified the debate.
The UK government, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, quickly voiced opposition to the ban, with Starmer declaring, “We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets.” The UK’s three major political parties criticized the move, and the government pressed for a review of the police’s decision. Yet, the events in Tel Aviv provided ammunition for those supporting the ban. Independent MP Ayoub Khan, who had campaigned for the cancellation of both the Tel Aviv match and the Birmingham fixture, argued that the issue was not religious but rooted in hooliganism: “Contrary to Keir Starmer’s disgraceful comment labelling our West Midlands police and the safety advisory group as antisemitic, this was never about religion. It was always about hooliganism.” Khan added, “We have now yet had another taste of these hooligans, people who show no mercy, not even on their own turf, let alone ours. The riots [at the derby in] Tel Aviv have left police officers and civilians injured.”
Khan’s stance found some support among the British public, with one poll indicating 42% backed the police’s decision to bar Maccabi fans from the Aston Villa match, compared to 28% opposed. He continued to defend the chief constable and the safety advisory group, while also announcing his intention to pursue legal action against critics whom he accused of libel.
The political reverberations extended into Israeli politics as well. Opposition leader Yair Lapid seized the moment to attack Israel’s far-right interior minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, blaming him for the inability to ensure public safety at a major sporting event: “To the endless list of failures of the incompetent minister Itamar Ben Gvir, tonight was added the inability to facilitate a soccer game in the State of Israel,” Lapid wrote on social media.
In the midst of this turmoil, both teams must attempt to refocus on their football. After six league matches, Hapoel Tel Aviv sits third in the Israeli Premier League standings, one point behind second-placed Maccabi. Maccabi’s next challenge arrives quickly—they are set to host Danish side Midtjylland at Bloomfield Stadium on October 23, 2025, in a Europa League group stage clash. Whether the events of the abandoned derby will cast a shadow over their European campaign remains to be seen.
The Tel Aviv derby has long been a fixture charged with passion, pride, and, occasionally, peril. Sunday’s cancellation is a stark reminder of the fine line between spirited rivalry and outright chaos. As authorities, clubs, and fans grapple with the aftermath, questions linger about policing, fan behavior, and the responsibilities of football’s governing bodies—both in Israel and abroad. The debate over security, civil rights, and the very soul of the sport continues, with no easy answers in sight.
For now, the stadium’s gates are closed, the derby’s outcome left unwritten, and the focus has shifted from the pitch to the ongoing discussions in boardrooms and parliaments. Football, it seems, is once again at the heart of a much larger conversation.
