Hapoel Jerusalem declared war on AEK Athens

AEK Athens will face a “belligerent” atmosphere in Israel in a BKL rematch with Hapoel Jerusalem following the incidents at the Ano Liosia gym, the Greek sports club said in a statement. The Israelis, for their part, accused the Greeks of terrorism.

BC AEK statement:

“1. The Hapoel management and its supporters at the match in Ano Liosia did not comply with the safety rules, which they were informed about long before, and did not respect the decisions taken during the meeting on the measures of order with the police. Their late arrival at the stadium (they entered at 16:50 instead of 15:30) caused a problem with the security plan, and therefore the control at the entrances was incomplete.

2. Hapoel fans wore T-shirts with the image of the Parthenon painted in red, with the inscription “ATHENS IS RED”, and stickers with the same inscription filled our indoor stadium. This “message” about the Parthenon was a desecration of a national historical monument and apparently caused outrage among Greek fans. Imagine the diplomatic incident that could ensue if AEK fans made a similar t-shirt with a historical monument in Israel (e.g. Wall of Tears, approx. edition), painted in yellow-black colors. This “message” also came out on Hapoel’s social media a few days before the game, but we didn’t use it or respond to it just to avoid provoking it. Self-evident. Everyone can find her. Will we find our trouble too? Somewhere mercy!

3. Hapoel fans threw a smoke bomb, which was the first to be thrown on the field by provocateurs-hooligans/violators, when they could just let it go out. By doing so, they endangered the physical integrity of the athletes/referees, etc. after the smoke bomb exploded on the field. At the same time, they threw water bottles and coins at the families sitting on the lower level.

4. The leadership of Hapoel (the one that insists on preaching against terrorism and violence): a) posted a promo video for the game next Wednesday, urging their fans to open the gates of hell, thereby promoting violence and disregarding the physical integrity of our team, b) gave Mitchell’s personal mobile phone number to their fans (!!!), who have been sending him threatening messages for the third match for several days…

5. VIP guests of Hapoel throughout the match gesticulated and insulted the families of AEK players who were sitting next to them. Recall that AEK fans/travelers did not create any problems at the first match in Jerusalem.

In any case, while we are trying to calm the situation with our statement, doing everything necessary, and two interviews with the Israeli media, Hapoel continues to stir up the atmosphere on a daily basis, with the sole purpose of polarizing and intimidating our team and referees in the run-up to the 3rd match.”

Israeli threats
In a video promoting tickets for the game that will decide the BKL quarter-final qualification, Hapoel Jerusalem shows his fans in Athens, emphasizing that they have not forgotten what happened in Ano Liosia and that “the gates of hell will open at their stadium next Wednesday, April 19th.

“We had a difficult night, traumatic, fireworks, flashes and pops of grenades, stones. Next week the rules of the game will change, the Greeks will meet with thousands of “reds” who do not forget and do not forgive, in our way, in sports, in fair, fair play.

The gates of hell will open in the arena. No “red” woman, no “red” man, no “red” person will stay at home,” the video says, among other things, which ends with the indication that the stadium … will explode.

Basketball Champions League: AEK Athens’ trip to Israel is kept under wraps

Given the current situation and for security reasons, the details of AEK’s trip to Israel for the decisive match of the 3rd round against Hapoel were not disclosed. The team will travel to Israel with the consequences of what happened at the Ano Lyonia stadium. This fact made it very difficult for the “yellow-black” team to organize a trip to Jerusalem, as they could not even find a hotel to stay.

In the end, with the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a solution was found, but any details regarding the trip were not and will not be made public for security reasons. Thus, after consultation with FIBA, it was decided not to disclose the departure time, arrival time, hotel, etc., in order to avoid any tension.

Hapoel Jerusalem statement on match against AEK: “What happened in Athens was a terrorist attack”

From my side Hapoel Jerusalem complained about the incidents that occurred at the Ano Liosia stadium during the Champions Basketball League quarterfinal match against AEK. Representatives of Hapoel Jerusalem report that they were provoked by burning the flag of the country and banners with the inscription “Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine”, and they also talk about injuries to the team’s fans.

Hapoel’s official statements on social media say:

Hapoel views the events in Athens as a terrorist attack against Israeli fans who have come en masse to support their team, as they have done for years. During the break and after the first events, we thought about how to react.

The removal of Hapoel’s friends was strongly rejected as they were surrounded by Greek fans and there was a risk of serious incidents outside the stadium.

The possibility of stopping the match was also considered, but the police said that such a decision would lead to complete chaos and violent incidents that would also endanger human lives.

For security reasons, it was decided to continue playing, with police stating that another violent incident would result in all fans from both teams being ejected from the stands.

Hapoel supports every fan who came to support their team in such difficult circumstances, and we regret the traumatic experience our loyal fans endured. Our club will not remain silent in the face of what has happened.”

Recall that the game ended with the victory of AEK with a score of 94-78, the next game was held in Israel (19/4, 19:00), and the winner received a ticket to the BKL quarter-finals.

Εικόνες ντροπής στο κλειστό των Άνω Λιοσίων μετά το ΑΕΚ – Χαποελ Ιερουσαλήμ. Σπασμένες πόρτες, σπασμένο κυλικείο, ανοιγμένες μάνικες. pic.twitter.com/idyMYnomXB

— Stefanos Makris (@steflong85) April 12, 2023

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📸 @steflong85 pic.twitter.com/rTQ9bo3Mma

— Harris Stavrou (@harris_stavrou) April 12, 2023

Editorial opinion:

Having studied the situation, one can come to one conclusion – both sides are to blame. Like the Greek one, when the police and secret services, knowing what the visit of the Israeli team could turn into at a time when riots and border conflicts with neighboring countries are taking place in Israel, did not take any security measures. So is the Israeli one, which, realizing that the riots were provoked by their own compatriots from Palestine, with the participation of local radicals, fell for provocations, responding with an insult to all the Greeks and the team, which, in fact, is not to blame for anything.

Let’s hope that the Israeli authorities will not allow the members of the Greek team, as well as their possible fans, to suffer, and will also slightly reason with the leadership of their team and advertising managers who distribute such posters and videos.

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