Amsterdam moves to bar Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv FC for contributing to 'occupation, racism'

The Amsterdam City Council has approved a motion to declare certain foreign sports clubs, including Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv, unwelcome in the city if they are deemed to contribute to “occupation or racism.”

The motion, put forward by Sheher Khan, leader of the Denk party on the council, targets clubs “established in illegal settlements, directly or indirectly contributing to the maintenance of unlawful occupations, or systematically failing to act against extremist and racist expressions among their hardcore”.

A large majority on the council supported the proposal, with only the Christian Democrats, Liberal Party, JA21, and the far-right Forum for Democracy voting against, daily Het Parool reported on Tuesday.

The council this week will send a letter to national sports federations, including the Dutch Football Association and the Dutch Olympic Committee, urging them to exclude such clubs from sports events in the Netherlands.

The move comes in the wake of violent clashes in Amsterdam last November following a Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, where Maccabi fans tore down a Palestinian flag and some were heard shouting “f*** the Arabs” and “let the IDF (Israel army) win.”

“Nationally, clubs from countries like Russia are already barred from playing in the Netherlands. Yet for Israeli clubs, no such rule exists,” said Khan of the Denk (Think) Party, founded in 2015 by ethnic Turkish lawmakers with a focus on opposing discrimination and racism.

He said the Dutch government may have double standards, “but our city faces the consequences. This motion corrects that inconsistency.”

Maccabi ‘hooligans endorse genocide’ in Gaza

Although framed broadly, the motion is aimed primarily at Israeli clubs, Khan admitted, stressing that it was worded generally to avoid exceptions.

He added that Maccabi Tel Aviv “is known as pro-Netanyahu, and its hooligans endorse genocide”, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime mover in the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has killed over 65,000 people, mostly women and children.

Femke Halsema, mayor of Amsterdam, previously indicated that Maccabi supporters would not be invited again to the city. With this motion, the council has now formally joined in declaring the Israeli club unwelcome.

Maccabi Tel Aviv, currently competing in the Europa League, is also under review by UEFA for a possible suspension linked to Israel’s war in Gaza.

Israel’s participation in other sports has also come under pressure: last weekend, protesters in Rotterdam demonstrated against Israel’s inclusion in the European Baseball Championship.

Supporters of Israel’s exclusion point to the quick exclusion of Russia from sports after the start of the Ukraine war as a double standard.