Israeli Soccer Match Suspended Following On-Field Brawl
By Mike Cardillo
The Tel Aviv derby between Hapoel and Maccabi was marred by violence on Monday after a shirtless fan ran onto the field and attacked Eran Zahavi, who had scored an equalizer for Maccabi from the penalty spot earlier in the match. Zahavi, an Israel international, formerly played for Hapoel and was sent off by the referee. From there the match turned into chaos as fans from both sides ran onto the field. It was subsequently abandoned at halftime.
"Hapoel manager Eyal Berkovic, who played for Southampton, West Ham, Celtic, Blackburn, Manchester City and Portsmouth, said: “This was not a game of football, it was war. “I’m stunned and ashamed to be involved in football on a day like today. “Both clubs and both sets of supporters must be severely punished for what happened here.”"
Violence from the incident continued into Tuesday. From the Guardian:
"Tel Aviv police confirmed that 10 people had been arrested which prompted further brawling outside a city courthouse on Tuesday. Video footage showed the fans flailing wildly on the street and hitting each other with belts and sticks for several minutes."