Israeli EuroLeague team to play games this week without fans due to protests

Two professional basketball games in Spain against an Israeli team this week are expected to be played without fans as they have been deemed “high risk” due to security concerns amid anti-Israel protests.

Real Madrid CF said in a statement that its EuroLeague match against Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday “will be played behind closed doors” and that the team is “complying with the recommendation made by the national police.”

Real Madrid said it has met with the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport about the competition and that tickets will be refunded (season ticket holders will have their refund credited toward their renewal next season).

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Maccabi’s Cuban forward Jasiel Rivero dribbles up court, challenged by Barcelona’s Czech guard Tomas Satoransky (left), during the Euroleague basketball match between FC Barcelona and Maccabi Tel-Aviv at the Palau Blaugrana arena in Barcelona on February 5, 2025. (Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images)

Maccabi Tel Aviv will also play Barcelona on Tuesday without an audience, with Barcelona also calling the match “high risk”. This announcement was made last month.

Reuters noted that the league’s Israeli teams were playing home games at neutral sites from October 2023 until last month due to protests related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Maccabi Tel Aviv is on the road in Spain for both competitions. Maccabi Tel Aviv returned home in December after playing home matches earlier in the season in Serbia.

According to the Times of Israel, more than 250 organizations “demanded” the suspension of Thursday’s match.

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans celebrate their team’s 118-74 victory over Skipper Bologna in the 2004 Euroleague Final Four game, May 1, 2004, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (David Silverman/Getty Images)

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Maccabi are scheduled to return home on January 11 against domestic rivals Hapoel Jerusalem on Sunday, according to their schedule. They played one home game Sunday, an 89-64 victory over Hapoel Haemek, also in Israel.

Israeli teams were expected to return to their home arenas following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas overseen by President Donald Trump. As part of the ceasefire, Hamas released the remaining 20 live hostages held in Gaza, while Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump as the “greatest friend” Israel has ever had.

A supporter carries an Israeli flag on his shoulders in front of the Adidas Arena before a Euroleague basketball match between Paris Basketball and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, in Paris, January 16, 2025. (Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP via Getty Images)

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Netanyahu announced that he had named Trump as the first non-Israeli recipient of the Israel Prize, which he described as the country’s “highest award.”

Morgan Phillips of Fox News contributed to this report.

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