Alkmaar mayor defends ban on Israeli club’s fans at AZ match

The mayor of Alkmaar is facing scrutiny over her decision to bar all supporters of Israeli club Hapoel Be’er Sheva from a Europa League game set to be played against AZ at the city’s AFAS Stadium on October 15.

The decision was taken, mayor Anja Schouten said, to prevent public disorder in and around the city. It follows violence surrounding Maccabi Tel Aviv’s match against Ajax in Amsterdam in November 2024, which spurred Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema to call on Alkmaar to prevent a similar situation.

Some local councillors criticised the decision in an emergency debate on Monday, NRC reported.

The Lawfare Project, a US-based pro-Israel legal group, told Dutch News it is examining possible legal action, arguing the ban is discriminatory.

Schouten told councillors last week the decision was based on public order, “not on political considerations”. Keeping groups apart was possible “with heavy deployment” around the stadium but “virtually impossible” elsewhere, particularly as visiting fans were expected to stay in Amsterdam hotels, she said.

Lawfare said that UEFA rates Hapoel’s supporters as only medium risk, and that if security cannot be guaranteed for them, then no one should be allowed to attend.

The ban is not on Israeli nationals, only on Hapoel ticket holders and on displays of support for the opposing club in the stadium, according to AZ. A spokesperson from AZ confirmed to Dutch News that no ticket sales had been made before the decision was taken.

Banning away fans from home games is common in Dutch football when authorities judge the risk too high.

In December 2024, Amsterdam barred Lazio fans from a Europa League match against Ajax over the risk of anti-Semitic and racist incidents. Enschede’s mayor reversed a similar ban on Besiktas supporters after the Turkish club called it discriminatory.

Schouten also barred Ajax fans from a cup match in January 2025 after hooligans stormed an AZ supporters’ café. UEFA normally requires clubs to offer 5% of tickets to visitors but generally accepts such bans, broadcaster NOS reported.

Dutch fans have often been on the receiving end of one-way bans. In October 2024, French authorities barred PSV fans from a Champions League match in Paris a week before kick-off, after 2,000 had already bought tickets.

Feyenoord supporters have been barred from several matches in Rome since riots in 2015 caused €8 million of damage in the Italian capital.

They were also kept out of Lille in January 2025 after a legal challenge failed at France’s highest administrative court.

Other tactics
Other host cities facing Hapoel this season have used different routes to avoid trouble.

Leuven’s mayor Mohamed Ridouani refused to host Union Saint-Gilloise’s match against the club “not even behind closed doors”, saying people could still flock to the stadium. The game will instead be played without spectators in Düsseldorf on October 22.

Turkish club Besiktas will play its home match against Hapoel in Batumi, Georgia, on November 26 with spectators present, club president Serdal Adalı said last week.

Of the three, only Alkmaar is keeping the match in its own stadium while excluding one set of fans.