In the Netherlands, there is concern about Hapoel Be'er Sheva: "We do not want to host this match"

The draw for Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the Europa League has led to it being hosted in many countries where the attitude of residents toward Israel is not positive. Yesterday (Thursday), Rigo Wijdugen, chairman of the SP party faction in the Alkmaar city council, addressed the expected arrival of the Israeli champion in the city on October 15 and said: "Ideally, we do not want this match."

Wijdugen claimed that the reason is not a boycott or hatred of Israel, as is the case with Union Saint-Gilloise and the city of Leuven in Belgium, but rather a desire to maintain peace in the city:

"It prevents a lot of unrest. Do not bring the conflict to Alkmaar. It is not worth importing problems here," he said in an interview with the Dutch newspaper "Noordhollands Dagblad."

"We definitely want to prevent international conflicts in Alkmaar," said Wijdugen. "Can we guarantee that this match will take place safely? If it is only possible through a massive deployment of police, law enforcement, and other public resources, should we, as Alkmaar, really want that? We need to have this conversation honestly."

As of now, Hapoel Be'er Sheva has not received any information about moving the match to another location, and if there are no dramatic changes, it is scheduled to take place at Alkmaar's home stadium. According to Wijdugen, the riots from two years ago in Amsterdam when Maccabi Tel Aviv visited the city are the main factor for the concern about hosting Hapoel Be'er Sheva.

While Hapoel Be'er Sheva's home matches will take place at the Rapid Bucharest stadium in Romania, the away matches are once again under a heavy cloud. Besiktas will likely have to find a new home, like Union Saint-Gilloise, which will not host at the stadium in Leuven like the rest of its home games. If a dramatic event occurs, Hapoel Be'er Sheva may play three away matches on "neutral" grounds.