Two Spanish basketball clubs will play their upcoming games against teams from Israel in front of empty stands.
La Laguna Tenerife will face Bnei Herzliya in the Champions League on Tuesday and Baxi Manresa will face Hapoel Jerusalem in the EuroCup on Wednesday. As the clubs announced in a joint statement, they will play the games without spectators. The aim is “to ensure the safety of everyone involved.”
Meanwhile, in the EuroLeague, Europe’s premier class, Hapoel Tel Aviv will be playing at Valencia Basket on Wednesday. According to Spanish media reports, there is also a possibility of partial or even complete exclusion of spectators. There have recently been increasing protests against Israel in Spain. The government describes Israel’s ongoing military action in Gaza as genocide and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for Israeli teams to be excluded from international sporting events in September.