The football match between Belgium and Israel in the UEFA Nations League, scheduled to take place on Friday 6 September, will not be held at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels as the risk is deemed too substantial.
Belgium is classified in Group A2 of the UEFA Nations League along with France, Italy and the Israeli national team. The City of Brussels therefore received a request from the Royal Belgian Football Association (KBVB) to host a home match between Belgium and Israel on Friday 6 September.
The City of Brussels has been in talks for months with the KBVB, the Brussels-Capital Ixelles police zone and the Federal Government to assess the security implications of such a match at the King Baudouin Stadium.
However, the City of Brussels confirmed in a press release on Wednesday morning that the Red Devils' home match against Israel cannot take place at Brussels' major stadium. Brussels authorities deem the risk too substantial, given the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, and the numerous demonstrations taking place in the country’s capital.
"Given the dramatic situation in the Middle East, the Board of Mayor and Councillors of the City of Brussels considers it impossible to organise a high-risk match on its territory," the statement read.
"After a careful and in-depth analysis, we must conclude today that the announcement of such a match in our capital, in these particularly troubled times, will undoubtedly lead to large demonstrations and counter-demonstrations, threatening the safety of the spectators, the players, the people of Brussels and our police forces."
The authorities added that, since the 7 October Hamas attacks in Israel, the police in Belgium have "already been called upon on a very large scale to ensure the daily security of the city," especially to "manage the large number of demonstrations resulting from these international tensions".
On Wednesday after noon, the Belgian Football Union (BFU) stated it regretted Brussels' decision not to host the Belgium-Israel match, originally scheduled for 6 September as part of the Nations League at King Baudouin Stadium.
"The fans always inspire our players and we love hosting our matches at an energetic King Baudouin Stadium," the BFU responded. They empathised with concerns regarding the situation in Israel and Palestine and the ensuing security implications, having accepted the likelihood that this match against Israel would proceed without spectators, their primary concern being safety.
