Belgium will play its home match against Israel in Budapest, after Belgian cities said they lacked the willingness or capacity to ensure adequate security for the Israeli team.
City leaders in Belgium said organising the game at home for the UEFA Nations League fixture would be politically sensitive and require unusual security measures.
Belgium’s ‘Red Devil’ national team instead will travel to Hungary, to play Israel in Budapest’s Boszik Arena, reports Belgian daily Het Laatste Nieuws. This stadium, which opened in 2021, seats 9,000 people.
The September 6 was originally scheduled to take place in Brussels’s Stade Roi Baudouin (where the Belgian Football Federation’s official website still lists this fixture taking place).
In late June, Brussels mayor Philippe Close and first alderman for climate and sports Benoît Hellings said their city could not host the game, citing heightened risks and serious security concerns.
The city officials said they did not want to take risks, amid the ongoing Gaza conflict and strong pro-Palestinian sentiment within the Brussels’ migrant population.
On June 19, Hellings said “given the chance of riots, in the stadium itself, in the immediate vicinity and in the city centre, we cannot take the risk of endangering the safety of our fellow citizens.”
The match posed “a disproportionate risk,” even if played behind closed doors, said Hellings.
Brussels has witnessed frequent public demonstrations in support of Palestine and against Israel.
The city has permitted protests by organisations such as Samidoun, which often defends Hamas, and the chant “from the river to the sea” is frequently heard in Europe’s capital.
September 6 also falls close to the municipal elections, with Belgium’s federal elections in June showing many of the country’s political parties have leveraged the Gaza conflict into a campaign issue.
Précédent très important.
Hors situation de guerre, c’est la première fois, à ma connaissance, qu’un pays européen reconnaît officiellement qu’il n’est plus maître de son territoire, en raison d’une présence arabo-musulmane trop pressante.#Belgique https://t.co/vVo12CUNAN pic.twitter.com/7HGC92BKWL— Damien Rieu (@DamienRieu) July 16, 2024
The Belgian Football Federation confirmed the game will take place abroad, to the Belga news agency.
It said other options remained under consideration and no final decision has been reached.
Organising the game abroad would mean fewer Belgian fans supporting the team. Belgium’s football federation would also miss out about €1 million in revenue and will have to pay travel expenses.
Some observers argued Hungary’s choice was ironic, after the country received criticism for not opening its borders to migrants from majority-Muslim countries. Now, they say, Hungary appeared to offer Europe’s only safe location to organise a football game against Israel, without threat of terror or attacks.
“Outside of a war situation, this is the first time, to my knowledge, that a European country has officially recognised that it is no longer master of its territory, due to an overly pressing Arab-Muslim presence,” said French political activist Damien Rieu.
Brussels city decision to cancel Belgium-Israel football match sparks controversy. https://t.co/pLg4PYaYaT
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) June 20, 2024
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