Limassol EuroLeague clash between Maccabi and Hapoel under heavy police guard
Maccabi Tel Aviv hosts Hapoel Tel Aviv at the Spyros Kyprianou arena on Thursday night, with hundreds of officers, metal detectors and online-only ticketing in force.
Hundreds of police officers, metal detectors and thorough screening await fans at Thursday's EuroLeague game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv, which tips off at 9.05pm at the Spyros Kyprianou arena in Limassol, as reported by the Cyprus Mail.
Maccabi is staging its home EuroLeague fixtures in Limassol after three seasons in Belgrade, a move forced by the security situation in Israel. Around 1,500 Israeli supporters are expected on the island, most of them backing Maccabi, while Hapoel's allocation of 150 tickets has already sold out.
Authorities have cleared Maccabi to hand out as many as 3,000 tickets per match to its own fans, with 1,500 more released to the Cypriot public. Seats are sold exclusively online — no paper tickets — and local buyers must supply ID and fan card details, while visitors register a passport or identity number.
What it means for residents
For Limassol residents, the fixture means traffic disruption and a visible police presence around the arena on match nights, with tighter checks at the gates for anyone attending. The operation is being handled as a standalone event each time, with measures adjusted to an updated risk assessment, and the November 17 visit of Olympiacos is expected to draw one of the biggest crowds.
- Getting in: only online tickets are valid, so bring the ID or passport you registered with — printed copies are not accepted.
- Cost to the taxpayer: police unions put the staffing need at about 500 officers, and a police source estimated the security bill at over €1 million per game; Justice Minister Costas Fitiris has told MPs that Maccabi will be invoiced for the extra policing.
- Planning ahead: if you live or drive near the Spyros Kyprianou arena, expect road closures and delays on Thursday evening and again for the Olympiacos match.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
