Union Saint-Gilloise Seeks New Venue for Israel Match

Union Saint-Gilloise will need to relocate their Europa League home match against Hapoel Beer-Sheva after the mayor of Leuven, Mohamed Ridouani, declined their application to host the fixture on October 22, 2023. Ridouani cited safety reasons for the rejection, stating that even behind closed doors, a safety risk would still exist.

He mentioned that his stance aligns with previous decisions regarding Belgian national team fixtures against Israel. UEFA confirmed awareness of Leuven's position and stated that it is the responsibility of the home club to find an alternative venue, with the new location to be confirmed shortly.

This situation arises in the context of Israeli teams playing European matches on neutral grounds following the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023. Notably, both of Hapoel Beer-Sheva's Champions League qualification matches against Maccabi Haifa were held in Hungary and Romania, respectively.

This marks an unprecedented displacement for an Israeli team for an away fixture.