Fenerbahçe S.K., Turkish basketball club from Istanbul, current champions of the Euroleague, will move their home games against Israeli clubs to Munich for security concerns. Fenerbahçe will host two home matches against Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 11 and Hapoel Tel Aviv on November 13, but instead of playing them in Istanbul, they will be played in Munich.
The participation of Israeli clubs in European competitions often brings protests and demonstrations when those clubs travel to European cities. Clubs have taken different approaches, like reducing the tickets sold or playing behind closed doors. Turkey, with a very poor relationship with Israel, has been very critical with the Hebrew country since their invasion to Palestine in October 2023. The peace treaty, signed this month, has been broken several times as Israel continues to launch air strikes over Gaza, having killed dozens since the "ceasefire".
"In line with this precaution-focused decision, following research and discussions conducted by our Club and EuroLeague officials, it has been decided that SAP Garden will host the matches in Munich, Germany, which has been permitted by local authorities to host these matches, is suitable on the relevant dates, and meets the EuroLeague match criteria", Fenerbahçe said.
Earlier this month, Euroleague decided that it is safe for visiting clubs to travel to Israel to play away fixtures there.
Further reading: Maccabi Tel Aviv declines any away tickets for Aston Villa match in the UK "from hard lessons learned"