Beitar Jerusalem fans break into the lawn of the 2023 State Cup final (documentation on social networks according to section 27A of the Copyright Law)
Tempers are still high after Beitar Jerusalem fans broke into the pitch after their team won the State Cup on Tuesday, cutting and burning the goal net, reaching the trophy award stage, stealing medals and causing security to remove President Isaac Herzog from the stadium. Today, it turns out that one of the fans who burned the gate net is a 19-year-old soldier from Unit 8200 of the Intelligence Corps who lives in Eilat, when he set fire to a 24-year-old civilian from Holon.
"There were 3000,<> fans on the pitch. A large number of fans wanted to take the game net, a custom from time immemorial, and burned a wire from the football goal and took it. He confessed and cooperated," argued attorney Assaf Sabri on behalf of the Public Defender's Office in the Haifa Magistrate's Court. "I'm sure the prosecution won't classify this as arson."
Judge Ihsan Halabi noted that "this is an ugly act in itself, of an attempt to set fire to the net of a football goal," but was convinced by the video shown to him and by the arguments of attorney Sabri and Oleg Pergin, who represented the citizen on behalf of the Public Defender's Office, and ruled that "this is not a fire, but after the fact you see various holes in the net of the gate. Given the aforesaid, and given the fact that this is a person who has no criminal record whatsoever, and someone who serves in the IDF, it cannot be determined that there is a reason for arrest of a high level of dangerousness, certainly not at such a level that requires his arrest."
More on the fans breaking into the pitch at the Israel Cup final
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President Herzog: "We must make firm decisions to eradicate the violence"
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The fans who set fire and tore up the net were banned from the pitches for a month. The crowd breaking into the grass (Photo: Walla! Editorial Board, Maya Banai)
Referring to the police's request to extend the soldier's detention by 5 days, he stated: "This request is disproportionate and unreasonable in terms of its duration," and ordered the release of the two men with a ban from soccer fields "as well as from soccer celebrations" for 30 days from today and from the city of Haifa for 4 days.
The same applies to a 26-year-old Beitar Jerusalem fan with no criminal record from Jerusalem, who was arrested at the stadium on suspicion of threatening police officers. Attorney Oleg Pergin, who represented him on behalf of the public defender's office, claimed that the incident occurred while he was running to look for his little brother who was with him at the game when the mob broke into the pitch. He appealed for his immediate rule. Judge Ihsan Halabi agreed and released him on the same conditions.
Release the fan who was searching for his brother, too. Beitar Jerusalem audience (Photo: Bernie Ardov)
In his decisions, Justice Ihsan Halabi added: "Sometimes these decisions are misunderstood. The court does not take lightly the severity of the acts, both of entering the pitch and of the behavior and rioting inside the field, especially when many fans do so. The decision regarding the arrest or release of a person will always be based on the provisions of the law and on the grounds set forth therein, and on these alone."
- sport
- Israeli football
- Israel State Cup
Tags
- Beitar Jerusalem
- Israel State Cup
