Maccabi Tel Aviv star Issouf Sissokho admits it’s ‘very hard’ to play without the club’s supporters ahead of tonight’s clash with Aston Villa.
Fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv have been banned from attending the fixture by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) after concerns from West Midlands Police based on ‘current intelligence and former incidents’.
The local SAG assesses the necessity for police presence and every other restrictions that could be needed before every football game in England.
After West Midlands Police classified the fixture as high-risk, following ‘violent clashes and hate crime offences’ during Ajax’s match against Maccabi Tel Aviv, the SAG decided to dam the Israeli club’s fans from travelling to Villa Park.
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With the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ongoing, the ban on supporters was politically controversial and Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised the move, exploring ways wherein the Government could reverse the choice.
But Maccabi Tel Aviv said they’d reject any offer of tickets – even when there had been a U-turn – because ‘a toxic atmosphere has been created which makes the protection of our fans wishing to attend very much unsure’.
Sissokho: The fans are very necessary for us
With Maccabi Tel Aviv fans unable to attend the sport against Aston Villa, and the club playing their 4 Europa League home games in Belgrade, Sissokho has opened up about what it’s prefer to play without supporters.
The Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder has urged his teammates to make their fans ‘smile’ against Aston Villa.
‘It is rather hard for us,’ Sissokho said. ‘Every home game in Europe we play in Serbia, so it’s a giant difference.
‘We all know the fans are very necessary for us. We have now to take into consideration them because they may watch the sport on the TV.
‘We have now to provide every thing on the pitch to provide them a smile and perform as a team.
‘We have now to focus on the team and play our game with this sense.’
Lazetic: We’re only specializing in the football
Zarko Lazetic, head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv, didn’t wish to get right into a conversation about unfairness and is keen to deal with the sport itself.
‘Unfair or fair, on the earth I’m not one who judges about that but on the pitch it’s 11 vs 11 and we’ll attempt to do our greatest,’ Lazetic said.
Lazetic confirmed Maccabi Tel Aviv’s squad had discussed the political backdrop but refused to elaborate further.
‘We’re only specializing in the football,’ he added.
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