A sad day for Israeli sports is the only way to describe what occurred at the much anticipated Tel Aviv Derby clash between Hapoel and Maccabi this past Sunday night at Bloomfield Stadium.

As fans from the Hapoel Tel Aviv sections set off fireworks and flares and lobbed smoke grenades onto the pitch just before the players entered the field of play, smoke filled the facility for close to a quarter hour as chaos ensued.

When the dust settled so to speak, the police unilaterally decided that the game would not go on and that close to 30,000 fans would be sent home empty handed on a night that should have been a celebration of Israel and of sports after the remaining living hostages were released back to their homes.

I’ve been to approximately 2,000 sporting events in the Holy Land since making Aliyah in 2004 and it never ceases to amaze me how something that is fun, exciting, enthralling and emotional all wrapped into one can turn sour in just seconds.

Over the 20+ years that I have been in Israel I have been to many a game, in fact, close to ten that never made it to the end. Stunning if you think about it.

Prior to moving to Israel, I had attended roughly 4,000 games of some sort primarily in North America and some in Europe, from baseball to basketball, to hockey to football, to auto racing to boxing and from tennis to you name it. Never had a game been suspended, cancelled, stopped in the middle due to anything other than weather.

However, in Israel that would not be the case.

For those keeping score, here are the sporting events that I have attended and did not end and in some cases did not begin.

1) The infamous firecracker basketball game at the old Malha arena between Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Holon back in November 2007. As time ticked off the clock, a Holon fan decided it would be intelligent to toss a firecracker onto the court to ensure that his team would not lose. As the firecracker descended onto the floor close to the Holon bench, an alert security guard jumped on top of it in order for it not to hurt anyone and it blew off a number of fingers on his hand.

2) The lights went out at Teddy Stadium in February of 2008 when a top of the table clash between Beitar Jerusalem and Maccabi Haifa was taking place. As the match hit the 7th minute, the stadium turned pitch black as fans were forced to sit for what seemed to be an eternity in the freezing cold facility to eventually find out that the authorities pulled the plug on the game and sent everyone home disappointed.

3) The November 2014 Tel Aviv Derby came to a screeching halt when “Fuad” a Hapoel Tel Aviv supporter jumped out of the stands and assaulted Maccabi Tel Aviv star Eran Zahavi. Bedlam ensued at Bloomfield Stadium just 22 minutes into the clash that then came to a halt as the match did not continue and the fans were sent home.

4) The Little Tel Aviv Derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Bnei Yehuda was the next event that saw a match postponed at the last minute. This time it was due to weather, but it wasn’t for heavy rain or torrential downpours in September 2015, it was due to haze that the authorities said was dangerous to play in despite the league confirming that the match was to take place. However, a recommendation had been issued that strenuous outside exercise not take place and to the dismay of both clubs, the referee called the game off just prior to the opening whistle.

5) Over on the basketball court in Ashdod, Hapoel Jerusalem with former NBA star were visiting the port city, but the hoop on one of the baskets broke and a replacement was not available. A number of ideas were bandied about including lowering old time baskets from the roof of the facility but they were deemed too dangerous as the game slated fro November 2018 was postponed.

6) In June 2021, in the midst of the Israeli basketball league playoffs a huge game was taking place in Gan Ner between Hapoel Gilboa Galil and Hapole Holon. With the score 60-55 in favor of the host, the gym lost power during the fourth quarter and the generator that was supposed to provide backup electricity never kicked in. After over an hour of uncertainty, the lights cane back on but Holon refused to continue the game as the clash was replayed a few days later back in the Galilee.

7) Sticking with basketball, the Winner Cup always provides fans with a good preseason look at the various teams and that was also the case in September 2023. The Tel Aviv Derby was the event that never made it to tip-off as the Reds refused to play the game due to the authorities wanting to check each Hapoel fan’s identification card to see if they were on a banned list to attend the game.

8) Over in women’s basketball, the AETNA Preseason Cup game between Hapoel Lev Jerusalem and Hapoel Kfar Saba came to a hard stop in the middle of the contest when cell phones went wild with alerts that Iran had sent missiles and drones towards Israel on October 1, 2024. Players, media and fans headed to the bomb shelter where we all hung out for close to an hour as the game did not continue when the all clear was given.

9) Let’s talk about the Israel Basketball Final Series that saw Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv all knotted up at 1-1 with the decisive game 3 slated for June 2025. Well we never got to that as Israel attacked Iran just hours after the Reds game two win as the series was cancelled one the war broke out as no champion was crowned for the 2024/25 campaign.

10) The Tel Aviv Derby between Hapoel and Maccabi made its return to Bloomfield Stadium in October 2025 after a one year hiatus due to the Reds having been relegated to the second division last season. As fireworks, flares and smoke grenades filled the facility, the police sent everyone packing in what will be a black mark for Israeli sports for years to come as the clubs, league, football association and police all need to take a good hard look at what needs to occur in order for the next Derby to take place.