The head of Israel's soccer association called off matches in the top two divisions over the weekend following another episode of mounting on-field violence on Friday. This was a rare decision, which has been made only a handful of times in the past, mainly for security reasons. Israel Football Association chief Avi Luzon canceled Saturday's Premier League and National League games after players brawled at the end of a match between Hapoel Ramat Gan and Bnei Lod. After the game, Bnei Lod's head coach Azabarga Sliman and his brother, team manager Azbarga Ismail, were arrested by stadium police. The two were released on Saturday morning, with the coach remaining under house arrest for another five days. On Saturday night, a number of players from both teams were summoned for police questioning. This group included Lod goalie Yosef Azbarga, who was questioned and also placed under house arrest. Twelve players in total, from both teams, were restricted to house arrest following the events. "I don't want someone getting killed on the soccer field, heaven forbid," Luzon said. "With all due respect to soccer, I don't want soccer played tomorrow after today's events." Luzon told Channel 2 TV that association officials would meet next week to decide what steps to take to quell the violence. Luzon said he decided to call off the matches after consulting with Culture and Sport Minister Limor Livnat, among others. Livnat had demanded earlier Friday that all matches, including youth league games, be called off so soccer clubs could take time to evaluate the situation. "Soccer fields have become battlefields and are a menace to the public welfare," Livnat said. Luzon has been criticized for failing to rein in the increasing number of violent incidents at soccer games this year. But he told Channel 2 TV that he will not resign, insisting that "it's not my fault." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Sunday to have violence on soccer fields rooted out. "We must eliminate the violence on soccer fields," Netanyahu stated during the weekly cabinet meeting. "We can't watch all these fervent kicks and punches being thrown. We want to watch soccer. If there's violence, there won't be anymore soccer. Therefore, we must root out this violence in order to bring back the game which Israeli citizens, including myself, love so much."
Friday's brawl came just three weeks after a similar melee broke out at the end of a Premier League game between Maccabi Petach Tikva and Hapoel Haifa.
The Israel Football Association docked Petach Tikva three league points but deferred the punishment to next season following an appeal by the club, which is chaired by Luzon's brother Amos Luzon. The deferral prompted allegations of favoritism.
Following the clash, Luzon called a working meeting with association officials and the soccer association's legal department. He called a press conference, scheduled for Sunday evening, to discuss the "dramatic" events. He was expected to answer questions with respect to Friday's events as well as the earlier incident with Petach Tikva's team.
In light of the recent violence and in the face of possibly having to re-evaluate the Petach Tikva points penalty, the Israel Football Association's chief prosecutor Shalom Ibn-Ezra and the association's legal adviser Moshe Avivi decided to take the matter to the association's highest legal authority and request another hearing on the Petach Tikva penalty.
Meanwhile, in the eye of the storm, Hapoel Ramat Gan board member Nir Arkin announced that he would leave the team at the end of the season, and will not continue being involved in the sport. He cited the "mounting violence in Israeli soccer" as the reason.
Also on Friday night, Hapoel Tel Aviv owner Eli Tabib announced that he has put the team up for sale. Tabib has been the target of fan protest for months, though he declared that this move was in light of "recent grave events."
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