Protests against Israel have also reached Florence, where tonight (Thursday) Fiorentina hosts Maccabi Haifa in the round of 16 rematch of the Conference League. An ugly anti-Semitic graffiti was found in the Italian city today, which read: “Fascists and Zionists, you are not welcome here. Free Palestine.” Also, fans were seen with Palestinian flags in the stadium.
Beyond the anti-Israel protests, in Florence they were held with increased forces in preparation for the arrival of the Israeli group. Roads in the city have been closed and there is also an increased police presence around the Artemio Franki Stadium.
At the end of the game, Italian security guards scolded and urged the Maccabi Haifa players to go down to the dressing room. Five Israeli security guards who came with the group from Israel pushed them and a confrontation ensued between them. The team’s foreign players, Lorenzo Shimich, Abdulai Sek, Daniel Sondgren and Ali Muhammad, who were hurt by the security guards’ attitude against Israelis, defended the players going down to the dressing rooms. Within a few minutes the event was over and the players went down to the dressing room. In Haifa we noted that throughout the game and at the end there were harsh comments and curses against Israel, including by local security guards
As I recall, it was first decided in Italy to stop selling tickets for the match against Maccabi Haifa due to security reasons. After that, the decision was changed and the match in Florence will be played with an audience, including fans from Israel.
Road closures and police forces around the “Artemio Franchi” stadium #Firenze for the match #ConferenceLeague between the #Fiorentina and the Israeli team of #MaccabiHaifa pic.twitter.com/rVmggAqvNg
— Local Team (@localteamit) March 14, 2024
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