Israeli Soccer League Game Abandoned at Halftime after Fireworks Thrown onto Field

28 November 2024, Berlin: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans wave Israeli flags in the stands during the EuroLeague Basketball match between Alba Berlin and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Uber Arena. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa
28 November 2024, Berlin: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans wave Israeli flags in the stands during the EuroLeague Basketball match between Alba Berlin and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Uber Arena. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa
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Israeli Soccer League Game Abandoned at Halftime after Fireworks Thrown onto Field

28 November 2024, Berlin: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans wave Israeli flags in the stands during the EuroLeague Basketball match between Alba Berlin and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Uber Arena. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa
28 November 2024, Berlin: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans wave Israeli flags in the stands during the EuroLeague Basketball match between Alba Berlin and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Uber Arena. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa

A game in the Israeli soccer league was abandoned at halftime for security reasons after fans threw flares at players and came onto the field.

Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv were tied at 1-1 on Monday evening after a first half interrupted by lit fireworks being thrown from a section of home fans and nearly hitting players. Maccabi Tel Aviv leveled the game with a penalty kick scored in the 15th minute of stoppage time added at the end of the half, Reuters reported.

“After a discussion in the dressing room between the local police commander, the match delegate, the referee and representatives of both clubs, the police decided to abandon the match in fear of safety for the players and fans,” Maccabi Tel Aviv said in a statement.

Israeli media reported that sports minister Miki Zohar had asked police to stop the game.

“There is no point in holding such a sporting event amidst this intolerable violence,” Zohar was quoted saying in reports.

Maccabi Tel Aviv is second in the Israeli Premier League, five points behind leader Hapoel Beer Sheva, and Maccabi Haifa is fourth.



F1 Seeks to Spice up Monaco GP with More Mandatory Pitstops

Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc drives during the third practice session of the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix on May 25, 2024. (AFP)
Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc drives during the third practice session of the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix on May 25, 2024. (AFP)
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F1 Seeks to Spice up Monaco GP with More Mandatory Pitstops

Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc drives during the third practice session of the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix on May 25, 2024. (AFP)
Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc drives during the third practice session of the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix on May 25, 2024. (AFP)

Formula One's governing body is planning to spice up the showcase Monaco Grand Prix by forcing teams to carry out more pitstops.

The FIA said in a statement that an F1 commission meeting in London on Tuesday had discussed "proposals for Monaco-specific regulations" to promote less processional racing at the tight and twisty circuit.

"The commission agreed to increase the numbers of mandatory pitstops in the race," it added, without providing further details.

"These proposals will be further discussed by the sporting advisory committee in the coming weeks."

The current mandatory minimum is one pitstop per race.

Overtaking is extremely difficult around Monaco, with qualifying and pole position a much more crucial element than at other races.

The FIA said there would also no longer be any restriction on the number of gearboxes teams could use during a season as the reliability of current designs had rendered the regulation obsolete.