Sport24.az
Maccabi (Tel Aviv) head coach Zarko Lazetic said that his team was forced to arrive at Villa Park stadium 5 hours early for the Europa League match against Aston Villa (0-2) in the 4th round. Sport24.az reports that the Serbian specialist spoke about this at a press conference after the game:
"It wasn't normal. We just sat... we didn't do anything. We arrived at the stadium 5 hours before the game. It was very difficult. It wasn't our decision."
Local police ordered the Israeli team to arrive at the stadium by 15:00. Approximately 700 police officers were mobilized to ensure security at the match in Birmingham.
Before the game, pro-Palestinian groups demanded that the match be canceled. Security measures were strengthened on the day of the match due to potential protests.
It should be noted that after 4 games, Maccabi, with 1 point, is in 34th place in the Europa League in 4 games.
