At Hapoel Be’er Sheva, AZ’s Israeli opponents in the Europa League, the war in their home country in Gaza is having an impact on the team’s sporting performance, says manager Ran Kozuch. “Of course it’s affecting our game.” At the pre-match press conference ahead of the game in Alkmaar, he and former Feyenoord goalkeeper Ofir Marciano were asked several times about the Alkmaar council’s decision not to allow away fans into the stadium. There were almost more questions about that than about the match itself. And this is not the first time. Hapoel Be’er Sheva has been feeling the consequences of the war in Gaza for some time now. In September, Alkmaar decided not to allow Israeli supporters on Thursday evening, 15 October. Although UEFA has assigned the supporters of the Israeli club a ‘medium risk profile’, the Alkmaar council has classified the match as ‘(very) high risk’ “due to the geopolitical context”. The council cites the riots surrounding the Ajax v Maccabi Tel Aviv match in 2024 as grounds for this decision. The decision appears to be a major talking point, even amongst AZ’s Israeli opponents. The only journalist from that country to attend AZ’s press conference was very keen to hear AZ manager Leeroy Echteld’s views on the matter. “It’s disappointing that they can’t be there to watch the matches,” said Echteld. “I think it’s normal for something like that to be allowed when you’re playing away. European football should be a celebration for both teams. But this isn’t a decision we’ve made; it’s been made by the police and the government.” Once Echteld’s press conference had finished and everyone was waiting for the press conference given by Echteld’s colleague Kozuch, more Israeli journalists began streaming into the press room. They, too, were keen to hear what the Dutch coach thought of the decision. The journalists then remarked that the fans’ refusal would also be a major topic during the upcoming Q&A session. That much is clear. “It’s a sad decision. The supporters are part of the team,” Kozuch states straight away. The head coach says that neither he nor the team have felt unsafe for a single second in the Netherlands. Were security measures necessary? “Not as far as I know. But I’ve got enough other things on my mind ahead of the match.” For example, how he can ensure his team performs well without the support of the Be’er Sheva fans. “That’s why, within the team, we only talk about football and as little as possible about other matters.” However, that isn’t always possible. Be’er Sheva’s home matches in the Europa League are not permitted to take place in Israel, which is why the team has to travel to Bucharest in Romania each time. In addition, the club is also facing difficulties with its away matches. Whilst in Alkmaar it is only the fans who are not welcome, the fourth-placed team in the Israeli league will not be welcome at all at Union Saint-Gilles and Beşiktaş in the coming weeks. Instead of being played in Belgium and Turkey, those matches will now take place in Germany and Georgia. “Of course, that affects our game. We have twice as many flights to book and everything has to be arranged outside our own country, which is physically very demanding. But we try to take that into account as much as possible.” Goalkeeper Marciano, who was under contract in Rotterdam between 2021 and 2023, says it takes some of the enjoyment out of the game. “Of course it does. It would be fairer if we could actually play at home, but there’s nothing we can do about it.” Incidentally, football was also discussed at the press conference. For AZ, the home match against Be’er Sheva is a must-win, says Echteld. “Not just because of the fixture list; I think we really have to win at home against this opponent.” Even if the Netherlands’ third-placed side doesn’t field its strongest starting eleven, the manager believes. “We are indeed going to make a few changes to the starting line-up. We want to have players who are consistently fit on the pitch. That way, the other players can now prepare for the away match against Cambuur. But I’m convinced that the lads who take to the pitch on Thursday are also good enough to win.”   submitted by   /u/Roller95 [link]   [comments]