Maccabi Tel Aviv Issues Statement Regarding Beşiktaş Match

Beşiktaş is set to face Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv in Istanbul as part of the UEFA Europa League.

Responding to Israeli media reports suggesting the match might be played at a neutral venue, Beşiktaş’s press spokesperson Feyyaz Uçar said, “The Maccabi Tel Aviv match will be played here. At least that’s what the schedule says. Our state officials will take every security measure. UEFA has not even considered an algorithm regarding this situation. I believe UEFA trusts our state and nation.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv player Osher Davida commented on the draw, saying, “Beşiktaş will host you, and the tension is already rising. Shagiv Yehezkel, who used to play for Antalyaspor, can probably tell you what to expect in Istanbul. What are your thoughts?”

Davida responded, “Sagiv Jehezkel will be happy to play in Istanbul. I don’t know what will happen in this match. We will do what we need to do there. I hope we are treated well. I believe everything will be fine.”

Regarding the draw, Davida added, “We saw the draw together at the airport on Friday on our way back to Israel. We knew we would be facing good teams. We were excited because we would be up against some big names. We will show how good of a team we are in this league.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Zarko Lazetic also spoke, saying, “We have a tough draw in the UEFA Europa League. We will be playing against teams at the Champions League level. We will take it step by step, focusing on our league match first. We have four more matches this month. Braga will be our next mission in Europe, but first, we will focus on the league.”