Gent and Maccabi Haifa must play behind closed doors

KAA Gent Arena has a capacity of 20,185Israeli club Maccabi Haifa’s Europa Conference League play-off second leg in Belgium against Gent must take place behind closed doors, Uefa says.

The decision has been taken for security reasons given tensions from the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Belgium’s Gent host Haifa at KAA Gent Arena on 21 February.

“The city council has already received several complaints from politically engaged citizens,” a local authority statement said.

“In addition, the open nature of the KAA Gent Arena and the fact that it is not possible to set up an external security perimeter around the stadium means that, in light of the current circumstances, it is impossible to offer watertight guarantees with regard to the safety of all supporters present.”

The first leg, scheduled for 15 February, is Haifa’s home game, but will be played outside Israel, at a venue yet to be confirmed.

Uefa ordered the club to host their final two Europa League home fixtures at neutral venues, playing in Cyprus against Spanish club Villarreal and in Hungary against France’s Rennes. They finished third in their group and dropped into the Conference League.

Gent faced Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv in the group stage of the Conference League, playing their home game in October in front of fans, while the away tie took place in Serbia.