News - Middle East: The Amsterdam City Council has barred Israeli sports club Maccabi Tel Aviv from entering the Dutch capital, citing support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza by the club’s supporters as the primary reason.

The decision follows last week’s vote by the city council to bar any sports club from occupied territories or whose fans endorse “racist and extremist views,” from entering the city, Dutch news outlet De Telegraaf reported on Monday.

The motion, proposed by Sheher Khan, leader of the Denk Party on the council, applies to all clubs “established in illegal settlements, directly or indirectly contributing to the maintenance of unlawful occupations, or systematically failing to act against extremist and racist expressions among their [fans].”

The council said that it will send a letter to national sports federations, including the Dutch Football Association and the Dutch Olympic Committee, urging them to exclude such clubs from sports events in the Netherlands.

Although framed broadly, the motion is aimed primarily at Israeli clubs, Khan stated, stressing that it was worded generally to avoid exceptions.

Pointing to the ban of Russia from all sporting events following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, Khan said the Dutch government may have double standards towards the Israeli regime, “but our city faces the consequences. This motion corrects that inconsistency” because “Maccabi hooligans endorse genocide in Gaza.”

Khan added that Maccabi is known for its pro-Netanyahu policies, referring to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose cabinet is the main conductor of the Gaza genocide and the greatest obstacle to a ceasefire.

Last November, a Europa League match between Ajax, a Dutch professional football club and Maccabi Tel Aviv turned violent after Israeli fans shouted anti-Palestine and Islamophobic slurs, attacking supporters of the opposing team.

Following this incident, Femke Halsema, mayor of Amsterdam, indicated that Maccabi supporters would not be invited to the city again.

With this motion, the council has formally joined the mayor’s office in declaring the Israeli club barred from the city.

Maccabi Tel Aviv, currently competing in the Europa League, is under review by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for a possible suspension, linked to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.

Israel’s participation in other sporting events has also come under scrutiny. Last weekend, pro-Palestine demonstrators in Rotterdam protested against Israel’s inclusion in the European Baseball Championship.

Last week, 100,000 pro-Palestine demonstrators in Spain disrupted the Vuelta a España cycling race, including its final stage, due to the participation of an Israeli cycling team in the event.

Since Israel launched its genocidal assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023, it has murdered nearly 65,419 and wounded 167,160, most of them children and women.

Source : Press TV