Jack Angelides, owner representative of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer club, recently sent a letter to Union of European Football Associations President Michel Paltini, thanking him and other UEFA personnel for facilitating the Sept. 15 match between the Israeli and Turkish teams in Istanbul. Although Besiktas defeated Maccabi 5-1, Angelides said that the goodwill of the Turkish authorities prevailed. The manner in which we were hosted exemplifies all the positive attributes that sport, and in particular football, we all wish to promote, he wrote.
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Despite the political tensions between Israel and Turkey, the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team traveled to Turkey to play against Istanbul club Besiktas in a Europa League match. In the letter, mailed Sept. 18, Angelides thanked the UEFA for treating the Israeli team well, and for its efforts to ensure that our stay in Turkey was secure, an enormous effort that cannot be underestimated.
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