Basketball – Maccabi Tel Aviv’s peaceful, high-risk game in Berlin

For a moment in front of the Maccabi Tel Aviv dressing room after the game, everything was as it should be. Accompanied by their parents, a group of young fans waited for a few of their idols to come out of the locker room again. Finally, it was Maccabi’s center Jasiel Rivero, freshly dressed, who took the time to fulfill all the autograph and photo requests of the children, some of whom were barely half the size of the 2.06 meter tall Cuban.

The fact that three police officers in full riot gear were standing a few meters away didn’t bother anyone. Strict security measures are currently just as much a part of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s away games as contact with fans. »A lot has changed since October 7th, a lot has become more difficult for us. We have to deal with a lot of things, and police officers in front of our dressing room are just one of many things,” admitted Maccabi coach Oded Katash after the game. And yet his team’s Euroleague game at Alba Berlin was once again in particular focus.

1,500 Berlin police officers were on duty both in front of and in the Uber Arena on Thursday evening. The area was surrounded by personnel carriers. All spectators were thoroughly checked at the entrance. Only Israeli and German flags as well as the symbols and colors of the two teams were allowed in the arena. Everything to prevent a repeat of the events of three weeks ago surrounding Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Europa League game in Amsterdam.

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Big worries after Amsterdam

At the beginning of November there were coordinated attacks on Israeli fans after the game in the Dutch capital. However, some Maccabi supporters had previously provoked with racist chants and had also sought clashes with pro-Palestinian groups after the game. Since then, Maccabi’s basketball games have also been considered high-risk events. That’s why there was a ban on gatherings around the Uber Arena in Berlin on Thursday.

All entrances and exits in the hall were guarded by police officers. In particular, the away team’s fan block was almost completely surrounded by police and arena security. Before the game started, the tension was clearly noticeable. But it quickly became clear that this game would not pose any great danger. After the many warnings about the possible dangers surrounding Alba Berlin’s seventh home game in the current Euroleague season, not even 5,000 spectators came into the hall.

There were big gaps in the Alba fan block and in all the other stands. Only the block of Maccabi supporters was really well filled. In the first quarter, the “Ma-cca-bi” chants were just as loud as the cheering efforts for Alba’s basketball players. The team from Tel Aviv’s 18-2 start also contributed to the fact that the mood in the visiting fan block quickly turned into exuberant happiness.

A relaxed atmosphere in the guest block

The fear of possible confrontations in the arena quickly disappeared. Two spectators held up their Palestinian scarves behind the Alba fans in the first quarter. But the action was quickly stopped by the arena’s security staff, as Pali scarves, like all other potentially provocative symbols, were banned by house rules. Instead, the explicitly permitted Israeli flags dominated, especially in the Maccabi fan block.

Many Maccabi fans were either draped in the Israeli colors or holding the flag high in front of them. For Eileen Krüger from Berlin, it was also about taking a stand against anti-Semitism. The 41-year-old with Jewish roots attended a Maccabi Tel Aviv game for the first time with a special ulterior motive: “I don’t want to hide anymore like my grandma hid.”

Alon Sagi felt the same way, and despite the safety concerns, he and his nine-year-old son made the journey to Berlin from Copenhagen to support their favorite team: “I had a few doubts, but we got our tickets before one “Bought for a while and we trust the police and the Berlin fans,” explained the 42-year-old “nd.”

Two incidents are quickly stopped

From a sporting perspective, the Maccabi fans got their money’s worth. Coach Oded Katash’s team already had a 16-point lead after the first quarter. After that, Tel Aviv never relinquished the lead. In the end, the Maccabi fans were able to be happy about a rough victory for their team. Even two minor incidents in the third quarter didn’t change anything. First, two men were escorted out of the interior by arena security because one of them was wearing a scarf in the national colors of Palestine. A short time later, two more men were escorted out because they were noticed shouting “Free Palestine” near the Maccabi fan block.

Otherwise, things remained quiet during the game, so that the Maccabi players were able to celebrate extensively with their fans after the final siren. For the team from Tel Aviv, which is currently playing its home games in the Euroleague in Belgrade because of the war, it was an important victory in the premier basketball league after four defeats. Nevertheless, the last few weeks have not left the team unscathed, explained development player John DiBartolomeo after the game: “There is a lot of noise surrounding our team at the moment. We try not to let it get to us too much, but we’re not naive either and of course we can’t ignore it completely.” It’s all the better that the high-risk game in Berlin remained peaceful in the end.