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Two professional basketball games in Spain against an Israeli team this week will be played without fans as they were deemed “high risk” due to security concerns amid anti-Israel protests.
Real Madrid CF said in a statement that its EuroLeague match against Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday “will be played behind closed doors” and that the team is “complying with the recommendation of the National Police.”
Real Madrid said it met with the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sports in relation to the contest and that tickets will be refunded (subscribers will be credited with the refund towards renewal for next season).
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Maccabi’s Cuban forward Jasiel Rivero dribbles down challenged by Barcelona’s Czech guard Tomas Satoransky (L) during the Euroleague basketball match between FC Barcelona and Maccabi Tel-Aviv at the Palau Blaugrana stadium in Barcelona on February 5, 2025. (Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images)
Maccabi Tel Aviv will also play Barcelona on Tuesday without fans, and Barcelona also called the match “high risk.” That announcement was made last month.
Reuters noted that the league’s Israeli teams played home games at neutral sites from October 2023 until last month due to protests over the Israel-Palestine conflict. Maccabi Tel Aviv will be on tour in Spain for both competitions. Maccabi Tel Aviv returned home in December after playing home games earlier in the season in Serbia.
According to the Times of Israel, more than 250 organizations have “demanded” that Thursday’s match be suspended.
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans celebrate their team’s 118–74 victory over Skipper Bologna in the 2004 EuroLeague final on May 1, 2004, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (David Silverman/Getty Images)
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Maccabi will return home on January 11 against local rival Hapoel Jerusalem on Sunday, according to their schedule. They played a home game on Sunday, an 89-64 victory over Hapoel Haemek, also in Israel.
Israeli teams were due to return to their home stadiums following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas overseen by President Donald Trump. As part of the ceasefire, Hamas released the remaining 20 live hostages held in Gaza, while Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump as the “best friend” Israel has ever had.
A fan carries an Israeli flag on his shoulders outside the Adidas Arena before a EuroLeague basketball match between Paris Basketball and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, in Paris, on January 16, 2025. (Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP via Getty Images)
Netanyahu announced that he nominated Trump to be the first non-Israeli to receive the Israel Prize, which he described as the nation’s “highest award.”
