Security is being beefed up considerably for VfB Stuttgart's Europa League match on Thursday against Maccabi Tel Aviv while Stuttgart ultras don't seem to plan any protests against the club from Israel. Even though there are is no specific threat, police are preparing for a "wide range of situations" up to and including "terrorist scenarios.
Security is being beefed up considerably for VfB Stuttgart's Europa League match on Thursday against Maccabi Tel Aviv while Stuttgart ultras don't seem to plan any protests against the club from Israel.
Even though there are is no specific threat, police are preparing for a "wide range of situations" up to and including "terrorist scenarios."
Several thousand officers, instead of the usual hundreds, will be deployed to ensure safety. Stuttgart airspace will be partially closed, entry checks strict and include metal detectors, and media representatives must carry their laptops in transparent plastic bags.
The locals are leaving nothing to chance as Michael Blume, the Baden-Württemberg state government's commissioner for anti-Semitism, expressd "concern", recalling the "organized persecution of Israeli people" last year in Amsterdam when Maccabi played Ajax.
In connection with the Gaza war, pro-Palestinian youths targeted and abused Maccabi fans who for their part had also been provocative pre-game.
Blaume said he has been warning for months "that open anti-Semitism is becoming more radical" and there are attempts "to exploit football for ideological purposes."
Up to 2,000 Maccabi fans are expected to attend as Stuttgart have refrained from banning them - a move Aston Villa originally decided upon last month before this was nullified but Maccabi then cancelled their ticket contingent.
Of the Stuttgart fans, the Commando Cannstatt ultra group has said the match should not become a stage "for geopolitical statements" in light of the complexity of the Middle East conflict and that they would also not tolerate protests from others in their part of the arena.
Other ultra groups plan to boycott the match because of all the restrictions.
Maccabi are the most popular club in Israel but their fans have also made headlines with racist and anti-Arab slogans.
However, Stuttgart chairman Alexander Wehrle hopes that sports will take centre stage when his team aims to take a step towards the knock-outs against second last Maccabi.
"The MHP Arena is and remains a place of football. Football is to unite and not divide," Wehrle said.
Stuttgart with defensive shortage
Jeff Chabot is suspended, having collected three yellow cards in the competition. Fellow defenders Luca Jaquez and Dan-Axel Zagadou are sidelined by injuries, while Ameen Al-Dakhil, Pascal Stenzel and Leonidas Stergiou are not registered for the league phase.
Stuttgart have reacted to the shortage in defensive players by including under-21 team players Christopher Olivier and Maximilian Herwerth in the squad.
Stuttgart have nine points from five games so far and are 12th in the standings.
"The match against Maccabi Tel Aviv is hugely important. If we get a win, we have a very good chance of staying in European competition beyond the league phase," coach Sebastian Hoeness said in a news conference.
"It’s the Europa League, we have to deliver a top performance and show that we’re ready to go to our limit," he added.
Category: General Sports
