Bilbao, war film: Behind Hapoel Holon's arduous journey in the Basque Country

With the arrival of the fans in the Final Four, the city was flooded with Palestinian flags, graffiti and slogans "Scores home!".

One Israeli spent the night in custody, the ambush was planned by a group of far-left activists - and now the club will try to collect the fragments ahead of the opening of the playoffs in Israel

Ahrela Weisberg

09/05/2022

Monday, 09 May 2022, 13:02

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Street fights between anti-Israel demonstrators and Hapoel Holon fans in Bilbao (use under section 27A of the Copyright Law)

1. This will not be the same Holon

Hapoel Holon will land in Israel tonight (Monday), after the trip to Bilbao that was almost everything: a historic performance at the height of the Champions League, impressive cheers from the crowd, an incident between coach and player, fans attacked in anti-Israel circumstances, a few lightly injured and one detainee released.

Everything - except victories on the field.

After the defeat to Ludwigsburg in the game for third place, which was accompanied by an incident on the bench between Guy Goodes and Michael Kaiser, the coach in the locker room spoke about the importance of team discipline, and then there was a personal conversation with the chin thrown by him off the field.

This is, in fact, the most significant and important challenge that awaits Goodes, after the intense weekend his players went through: on Friday they will host Hapoel Galil Elyon in the opening quarterfinals of the playoffs, when even inside the club do not know what to expect.

Will the recent events reconnect the group, or perhaps the difficult landing from the European tour will also adversely affect the displays in the local arena.

The pressure will be on them, and the momentum is not on their side, after five losses in the last six games.

More on Walla!

Guy Goodes concluded: "Not obvious."

Holon fans were also attacked after the game

To the full article

When the Israeli presence was felt, the hostility began.

Hapoel Holon fans in Bilbao (Photo: Official website, Champions League)

In the evening, the players were given free time.

Some went out to a restaurant in the city, others stayed at the hotel and there were also those who watched closely Tenerife's victory over Manresa in the final.

Looking ahead to next season, it is not inconceivable that Holon's face will change after the best European season in its history.

Goodes, who arrived when the team was on the verge of relegation even before the top 16, holds a contract and is expected to stay and build a squad that will better suit his method of play.

In fact, Chris Johnson is the only player to hold a guaranteed contract.

Rafi Manko has an agreement with a two-way exit option, and Guy Pnini is also interested in continuing to play at least another season.

It is estimated that an attempt will be made to re-sign Joe Ragland, but it is not inconceivable that the other foreigners, or at least most of them, will leave - each for his own reasons and circumstances.

More on Walla!

"The Basque underground is gone, but its idea is alive": Why does Vitoria hate Maccabi Tel Aviv?

To the full article

After the incident, Guy Goodes had a conversation with him and talked in the locker room about the importance of discipline.

Michael Kaiser (Photo: Bernie Ardov)

2. The foundation was laid 15 years ago

Anyone familiar with the history of Israeli sports in the Basque Country should not be surprised by the proliferation of violent events surrounding the Final Four.

Every visit of Maccabi Tel Aviv to the capital Vitoria, about 60 km from Bilbao, has become fertile ground for pro-Palestinian demonstrations and anti-Israel calls fueled by hatred.

The Basques demand independence and work to separate from Spain, and as part of their struggle Israel.The hostility is expressed in calls in the stands and in demonstrations, as well as in more significant acts: Already 15 years ago, when Nevan Spahija coached the Israeli champion (even before he moved to Basconia), a press conference held at the Fernando Boassa Arena exploded with cries "You represent terrorists and murderers!

Freedom for Palestine! "

Despite the history, it seems that the organizers of the Final Four did not anticipate the intensity of the hostility.

Over the past three days, the club's heads have received dozens of inquiries from fans, who have complained about the treatment they received on the streets of Bilbao.

Everything exploded and exploded about an hour before the game for third place;

The Holon crowd marched towards the hall, and in the nearby alleys, far-left activists ambushed it and attacked it.

Within minutes the situation escalated and escalated into street fights, which included throwing chairs, flares and plates from bars and pubs.

Witnesses to the events said the police were present but remained helpless, or at least indifferent, and allowed the mass brawl to break out with no actual response.

One fan was cut in the hand, and another was bleeding in the head because of a chair that hit him, but he preferred not to seek medical attention for fear of being hospitalized and unable to fly back to the country on time.

Things got even worse on Saturday, when five Israelis were detained for questioning by police, and one of them even spent the night in custody, but he was released with the intervention of club officials, the Foreign Ministry and Champions League executives.

Will an attempt be made to keep him for another season?

Joe Ragland (Photo: Official Website, FIBA ​​Official Website)

3. "The feeling in the city is scary. We hid the scarves in the bag"

For Omar Michaeli, a 15-year-old Holon fan, and for his family, a flight to the Final Four with the team in purple was a dream come true.

He arrived in Bilbao with his sister, grandmother and two cousins, and they felt the hostility long before the explosion yesterday.

"In many places where we walked around the city, we came across graffiti against Israel, Palestinian flags and stickers for the Palestinians. It's hard to miss the fact that they don't really like us here," says Michaeli.

"The feeling in the city is quite frightening, and it has become unpleasant at all in the areas near the pitch."

The swallows for the riots that will break out were already given on Friday.

Many of the 1,200 Israeli fans arrived in Bilbao just hours before the semi-final against Tenerife, and only then did the city begin to turn purple and their presence became particularly noticeable.

The first incident was recorded on the way back from the hall: suddenly, "home score" -style signs began to appear on the walls, graffiti was spray-painted in several places.

In some pubs, Palestinian flags were waved, chanting anti-Israel slogans.

The Holonites did not react indifferently, cursing the locals back.

"Ahead of yesterday's game, the family decided not to walk the streets in team clothes," Michaeli adds.

"Actually, you could say we dressed up. We wore black, plain clothes, and hid the scarves and purple shirts in our bags. We tried not to speak Hebrew, for fear of being attacked. My grandmother was so afraid that they would hit us, until she tried to convince us not to go on the field. But to this day I have not encountered such hatred for Jews or Israelis abroad.

This feeling of insecurity will make me think twice about returning here in the future. "

"Serious confrontation between Israeli and pro-Palestinian extremists in Bilbao."

Local coverage (Photo: Screenshot, El Correo)

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4. The group that called for an ambush for Israelis

Behind the ambush of Israelis was a group of far-left communist activists, called the "Red Ant" (Inurri Gorria).

According to estimates by local journalists, it was a group of several dozen people and no more, who kindled the fire.

While Holon was playing yesterday, it circulated on social media a call to ambush fans as they left the hall, and indeed a number of other incidents were recorded.

"The police were ready this time, and escorted the fans from the hall to the hotels, and even maintained a presence on the street, so that perhaps they prevented even more serious incidents," the club said.

The local media covered the events, and tried to avoid taking sides.

"Serious confrontation between Israeli and pro-Palestinian extremists in Bilbao," was the headline in the most read article on the Al Correa website.

The Basque journalist claimed that "the winds blew when the ultras of Holon encountered a Palestinian flag and a proclamation against Israel in one of the pubs, tore them and smashed a window."

The Champions League may recalculate a route, given the multiplicity of attacks over the weekend.

This is the first time that the Final Four has taken place in a neutral city, that none of the participating teams come from, and that the event attracted so many foreign crowds.

The negative headlines and the preoccupation with violence, fights and riots certainly did not benefit the factory image.

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