Tensions and security high ahead of Maccabi game in Turkey

The Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team takes its first steps in the Europa League this year in a game against Istanbul club Besiktas scheduled for Thursday in Turkey. But increasing tensions between Jerusalem and Ankara have shifted the team’s focus from the playing field in recent days.

The Israeli team arrived in Turkey on Wednesday and, later that night, about 30 protesters began demonstrating out the team’s Istanbul hotel. The protesters waved Palestinian flags and held up pictures of the Mavi Marmara, the ship on which nine Turkish nationals were killed during clashes with Israeli commandos during the 2010 Gaza flotilla.

“We will stay here until Maccabi leaves Turkey,” one of the protesters said. “If we make enough noise, maybe Maccabi won't be able to sleep tonight, and then we have made them ours.”

“At no stage of the preparations were we part of the media flurry surrounding this game,” coach Motti Ivanir told the Turkish media. “And now we are concentrating on the game and nothing else.”

Still, no matter how you look at it, the highly publicized conflict between Israel and Turkey overshadows the sports side. Even Maccabi Tel Aviv owner Mitchell Goldhar, who has showered millions of shekels on his team, does not believe there will be any surprises.

Goldhar arrived in Turkey on Wednesday, joining his team. He held a press conference and then watched the team practice. “The odds that we will win are very low,” Goldhar said. “We are an expansion team with a lot of players and a roster that is still maturing and building itself. In this state we are matched against Besiktas, a very strong opponent and a real team. A difficult match awaits us and we hope that it will pass successfully. This is Maccabi Tel Aviv's first appearance at this level; the club views this game as a real challenge.”

While team captain Barak Itzhaki spent the flight to Turkey playing a soccer game on his iPhone, forward Eliran Atar chose to sleep.

“My mom asked me not to go,” Atar admitted. “She's exhausting, but I plan to call her at least three times a day while I'm there. The most important thing is that she'll be relaxed.”

The flight to Turkey

Not 10 seconds after Ivanir completed the team's check-in at Ben-Gurion airport, Channel 1's Moshe Gertel arrived with a camera and stuck a microphone in his face, asking, “Can you say a word about the fear of traveling to Turkey? Are you scared? What does it do to the team-” Gertel tried to catch the Maccabi coach off guard, to no avail.

Later, in the duty-free store, Ivanir did find himself in a deep conversation with Israel TV sports commentator Danny Neuman. It is not clear whether the conversation veered into the professional realm or stayed on the topic of preferred playing strategy, but it is clear that if Ivanir takes Neuman's advice and works the other way around, he will be very successful.

After a two-hour flight, Maccabi landed at Ataturk Airport and met a mustached guard upon leaving the plane, who proceeded to accompany them, along with three other guards who arrived with the team from Israel.

On Wednesday, only a few fans joined the flight with Maccabi. The fans, however, made sure not to wear scarfs, shirts, or flags associated with the team.

Local media, some of which broadcast live the team's landing in Turkey, waited for them at the passport control station. When Jack Angelides, representative of the club's Canadian owner Goldhar, and a Cypriot national, was stopped due to his Cypriot passport, Ivanir tried to bring the reporters back to his reality. “We are not interested in politics. We are here to play soccer. We are not afraid of anyone and we did not consider that anything unusual would happen,” Ivanir said.

A meeting took place between Maccabi representatives and the Union of European Football Associations head of security on Wednesday, during which it was agreed that there would be two security checks at the entrance to the stadium: a body check and a ticket check. The number of expected fans at the stadium was set at 20,000, which is not the full capacity of the stadium.

Ivanir was expected to take a seat in the stadium as well, after being suspended for three games. Gadi Carmeli will coach the team in Ivanir's place.

“There's no doubt that any coach who achieves this honorable position would want to be a full participant in the event. I trust Gadi Carmeli 100 percent to do his job well. I trust the players to boost their motivation and give their all for their coach, who is not really benched. We are the underdogs here,” Ivanir said.

Maccabi line-up

Guy Haimov, the team's goalkeeper, has recovered, and will play at the start of the game.

Lugasi is injured and will not play. His replacement may be Haris Medunjanin. “We know what we have to do. Everyone thinks we will lose, but I hope that after the final whistle is blown, everyone will talk only about us,” Medunjanin said.

As of Wednesday, Atar was not fit to play due to a recent injury, but he was able to participate in the evening's practice.

Maccabi's expected line-up is: Guy Haimov, Omer Vered, Savo Pavicevic, Nivaldo, Shiran Yeini, Rafi Dahan, Haris Medunjanin, Dor Micha, Moanes Dabour; Barak Itzhaki (Eliran Atar), Roberto Colautti (or Roi Kahat).

טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו