Israeli Football Association Eases Away-Fan Ban and Pyrotechnics Penalties for Upcoming Season

Following two recent meetings involving representatives from Israel's major football clubs, the Israeli Football Association (IFA) and its legal department agreed on revised disciplinary measures for the upcoming season. These changes, set to be approved at the IFA executive meeting, primarily address penalties related to banning away fans and the use of pyrotechnics during matches.

The most significant adjustment stipulates that no away-fan ban will be imposed for second-round playoff matches in the top-tier league. Last season, Hapoel Be'er Sheva hosted Beitar Jerusalem twice, once during the regular season and once in the playoffs, with away fans banned at Turner Stadium during the first playoff round. The new rule prevents such bans in the second playoff round to promote sporting fairness.

Additionally, a stadium will not face consecutive away-fan bans for the same offense; instead, the punishment will skip one match before being applied again. This applies to major stadiums including Turner, Bloomfield, Sammy Ofer, and Teddy. The meetings included key figures such as Alona Barkat (Hapoel Be'er Sheva owner), Itzik Ovadia (Maccabi Haifa CEO), Guy Primor (Hapoel Tel Aviv CEO), Kfir Edri (Beitar Jerusalem CEO), Yael Margalit (Maccabi Tel Aviv representative), IFA Chairman Shinu Zohar, his deputy Moran Meiri, and legal department officials.

Regarding pyrotechnics, the threshold for penalties has been raised: only stoppages of ten minutes or more due to pyrotechnic use in the stands (excluding flares thrown onto the pitch) will result in sanctions. The previous five-minute threshold has been removed. Furthermore, the harsher penalties for a third offense involving pyrotechnics have been abolished, replaced by fines for all violations.

The major clubs also agreed not to reinstate stricter punishments such as radius bans, matches without spectators, or stand closures. Instead, the focus will remain on lighter sanctions concerning away-fan bans and pyrotechnics use.