Beşiktaş's opponent cannot find a venue to play the match

News summary

The stadium for the match to be played between Beşiktaş's UEFA Europa League opponents Hapoel Beer-Sheva (Israel) and Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium) has turned into a crisis. Mohamed Ridouani, the mayor of the Belgian city of Leuven, did not allow the UEFA Europa League fixture between USG and Hapoel Beer Sheva to be hosted at the city's Den Dreef Stadium.

News details

According to reports in the Belgian press, Leuven Mayor Mohamed Ridouani stated that the fixture on October 22 cannot be played even behind closed doors due to public safety concerns.

Speaking at the city council meeting, Ridouani said, "Union Saint-Gilloise is welcome here. However, in this specific case, it involves an Israeli team, and I am consistent on this matter."

Referring to the Belgian National Team playing its Nations League match against Israel in Hungary in 2024, Ridouani recalled that the Belgian Women's National Team had previously not been permitted to play against Israel in the city of Leuven.

Since its own stadium does not meet UEFA's European competition standards, Union Saint-Gilloise was planning to play its 4 home matches in the Europa League in Leuven.

Both mentioned teams are among Beşiktaş's opponents in the UEFA Europa League. The Black-and-Whites will face the Israeli side Hapoel Beer-Sheva at home under 'normal conditions' on November 26. On January 21, they will host the Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise.

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Key information

• Tournament: UEFA Europa League
• Related clubs: Beşiktaş
• News type: Football
• Certainty: The source did not provide a statement regarding the official status of the development.

Source

This news has been compiled from information sourced from Sözcü (published: September 2, 2026 23:03).

Original article: Sözcü