Fenerbahce were originally slated to host Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv at Ulker Sports and Event Hall in Istanbul.
Fenerbahce’s upcoming EuroLeague home games against Israeli clubs Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv have been moved to Germany due to security concerns.
The Turkish team was scheduled to host the matches in Istanbul on November 11 and 13. However, Fenerbahce announced that the games will now be played in Munich on the same dates, citing security measures implemented by Turkish authorities as the reason for the relocation.
Fenerbahce stated that the games will be held at SAP Garden in Munich and will be “open to the participation of our fans.”
Notably, the EuroLeague champions also had to relocate two games against Maccabi last year, initially scheduled for Istanbul, to Lithuania.
Relations between Turkey and Israel have become strained following Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which was launched in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Since then, Turkey has witnessed numerous large-scale anti-Israel demonstrations.
Last week, Fenerbahce and fellow EuroLeague team Efes Istanbul voiced their criticism of the tournament organizers’ decision to allow Israeli clubs to resume playing home games starting December 1.
The Israeli teams have been playing their EuroLeague and EuroCup home games abroad since October 2023.
This is just the latest instance of the Israel-Gaza conflict impacting the world of sports.
Earlier this month, authorities decided to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from attending their Europa League match against Aston Villa in Birmingham on November 6, citing safety concerns.
Violence also occurred before Maccabi’s match against Ajax in the same competition in November of the previous year.
Furthermore, protests were held at Israel’s national football team’s 2026 World Cup qualifier games in Norway and Italy this month.
In other news, Israel-Premier Tech will remove Israel from their name starting next season. This decision comes after the cycling team, owned by Israeli-Canadian property billionaire Sylvan Adams, faced disruptions from protesters during last month’s Vuelta a Espana in Spain.