November 2 – UEFA have hit Germany’s Union Berlin with a partial stadium closure for the antisemitic behaviour of some of its fans towards supporters of Israeli club Maccabi Haifa.
UEFA said it had concluded its disciplinary proceedings against Union “for the racist behaviour of its supporters” during the Europa Conference League game on September 30. The partial closure will be for Union’s next home game.
The match against Maccabi Haifa was the first game involving an Israeli team played at the Olympic stadium that was built for the 1936 Games hosted by Nazi Germany.
The stadium is usually used by Union’s city rival Hertha Berlin, but it has been taken over by Union for European competition this season as its own ground doesn’t have enough seating capacity to meet UEFA demands.
“There is no tolerance whatsoever for discrimination at Union Berlin,” said Union president Dirk Zingler, who slammed the “shameful and intolerable” abuse.
The Fare Network, which combats discrimination in European football, said “eyewitnesses were shocked by the levels of antisemitism” at the game.
Fare on Twitter showed pictures of a Union supporter who, it said, gave Nazi salutes toward the visiting fans “and abused those who called him out.” Another man in one of the pictures can be seen also giving a Nazi salute, which is illegal in Germany and punishable by a prison term.
Members of the youth branch of the local German-Israeli society said Union fans threw beer on them and called them “(expletive) Jews” among other insults.
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