Maccabi Tel Aviv Seeks Fan Support in Batumi to Avoid Early European Exit

Maccabi Tel Aviv moved their home matches this summer to the Batumi Arena in Georgia, aiming to attract thousands of Israeli fans who frequently visit the city for tourism and residence. Previously, the team played in Belgrade's Banjica Topola stadium, nearly two hours away from the city center, which limited fan attendance. Despite the impressive Batumi venue, the move has yet to yield positive results on the pitch.

The club faced significant challenges in European competition this season. After a strong 5-0 away win against Sheriff Tiraspol in Moldova during the second qualifying round of the Europa League, fan use of pyrotechnics led to a ban on spectators for the crucial home leg against CSKA Sofia. Playing in an empty stadium, Maccabi Tel Aviv suffered a 3-0 defeat, which contributed to their elimination from the Europa League qualifiers despite scoring three goals in the away leg in Sofia. Consequently, they dropped into the UEFA Conference League.

Following two disappointing home matches in Batumi, each affected by different issues, Maccabi Tel Aviv now relies heavily on their fans to help overturn the situation in tonight's Conference League match against FC Lugano. Approximately 850 Israeli supporters are expected to attend the game in Batumi, with an additional 50 fans traveling from Switzerland. Players have expressed how difficult it was to compete without fan support, emphasizing the importance of the move to Batumi to maintain a European presence and facilitate fan attendance. The team insists it would be disastrous not to qualify at least for the Conference League group stage.

The match is scheduled for 19:00 local time and will be broadcast on Sport 2. The club continues to stress the critical role of fan support in their European campaign moving forward.