AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Mohammed Ridouani, the Moroccan-born mayor of the city of Leuven in Belgium, opposed hosting the match between the city's football team and a club from the Zionist regime as part of the Europa League competition.
The Mayor of Leuven officially announced that the city will not allow the football match between Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and the Israeli club Hapoel Be'er Sheva to take place. The match was scheduled to be held on October 22 at the Den Dreef stadium in Leuven.
According to a report by the local television network VRT, this decision was made during a Leuven city council meeting following the raising of questions about the security dimensions of the match, given the recent crimes and the killing of a large number of Palestinian civilians.
The Mayor of Leuven, emphasizing his firm stance, said, "This match will not take place in Leuven. We do not have the capacity to guarantee the security of this game." He added that the city's approach to such issues has been consistent, and previously, the holding of some other matches at this stadium had been prevented due to security considerations.
Union SG, which had chosen this stadium for its European matches, announced that it accepted the mayor's decision and had begun searching for an alternative stadium to host this match. Meanwhile, the club's home matches against other European rivals, such as Celtic and Real Sociedad, will be held without issue in Leuven.
This development comes as tensions, public protests, and sensitivities in European public opinion regarding the presence of teams and athletes from the usurping Zionist regime in international arenas have intensified due to the regime's brutal actions in the region and human rights violations, posing serious challenges to security measures surrounding these matches.
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