Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League

[BrianCappellieri]

SoccerNet (http://www.soccernet.com/championsleague/news/2002/0904/20020904maccabi.html)UEFA confirm Haifa to play in Cyprus

UEFA confirmed on Tuesday that Maccabi Haifa will have to play their home Champions League matches in Cyprus because of security concerns in the Middle East.

Haifa, the first Israeli club to reach the group stages of the competition, had held out a slim hope of seeing the decision changed but UEFA deemed Israel too dangerous for visiting European teams.

[n00bie deluxe]

Of course it would be deemed to dangerous! Especially with all the unrest and the looming prospect of war in Iraq, it would be foolish to hold a match out there.

At any rate, it's nice that a scrappy team like Maccabi made it. But it'll definitely be ugly against ManU. Let's just hope they can put a goal on the board.

[Clan]

Interesting.

Chelsea were somewhat chastised by the powers that be last season when six first team players opted not to travel for the hapoel game.

Now those very same powers that be are making entire teams play elsewere.
Perhaps Bates was right when he said if it were United or Real or Bayern it would have never been mentioned.

[BrianCappellieri]

Wasn't Bates also that same wise man who called the players chickens for not flying? :)

[dougzinho]

Originally posted by n00bie deluxe
At any rate, it's nice that a scrappy team like Maccabi made it. But it'll definitely be ugly against ManU. Let's just hope they can put a goal on the board.

First of all, if ManU can go down against Zalaegerzeg then there's no sense assuming they'll win every match against an unknown. Now that that animal Roy Keane is off for a while, Haifa's chances might be even better.

(You have to hope that smaller sides will continue to knock dents in that bloody awful club anyhow, right?)

And regarding the dangers to visiting teams, isn't it interesting that both European Youth football and European Championship basketball are still being played in Israel? Aren't the Under 20s also playing in Israel?

It really is unfair for a small club like that to have to pay to host its home games abroad.

[Clan]

Originally posted by BrianCappellieri
Wasn't Bates also that same wise man who called the players chickens for not flying? :)

No.