Israeli soccer experienced a multitude of embarrassing events at the Classico between Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Sammy Ofer Stadium that forced the police to halt the game at halftime with the score 1-1, due to uncontrollable violence that put both players and fans at risk.

Throughout the first half of play, Haifa supporters sitting behind the goal at the north end of the stadium threw salvos of flares at the pitch when Maccabi Tel Aviv players approached the goal. The flares hit their own keeper Sharif Kayuf as well as the others who were in the box were thrown at roughly ten minute intervals.

The situation further went out of hand when Dor Turgeman’s penalty in firth half stoppage time saw more Haifa head coach Barak Bachar lose control after seeing the Maccabi player show up the Green fans after slotting home the ball. That led to coaches, executives and staff running onto the pitch as mayhem broke out leading to the police decision to call the game.

Following the violence on the pitch, Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar spoke with Police Commissioner Danny Levy and asked him to stop the match between Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv, who granted the request

Minister of Sports Miki Zohar said, “I thank the Police Commissioner for his decision to stop the match. There is no point in holding such a sporting event amidst this intolerable violence. I call on the Football Association to punish the culprits with extreme severity, otherwise this violence will not end.”

Erez Halfon, the Chairman of the League Administration added, “I am shocked and view the events tonight at Sami Ofer and Bloomfield with severity. It’s not possible that the lives of players on the pitch will be in danger because of criminals who are destroying the sport for all of us and taking the law into their own hands. I feel great disappointment to see that those involved on the pitch were also dragged into this sort of improper behavior.