Hapoel Kiryat Shmona President Izzi Sheratzky believes his club’s Europa League game against Athletic Bilbao should have gone ahead.
The game was set to take place in Haifa tomorrow evening but was postponed due to security concerns, following a bombing in nearby Tel-Aviv, which is also the city Marcelo Bielsa’s side were due to fly into.
Athletic President Josu Urrutia had already attempted to have the game postponed earlier in the week because of the conflict currently taking place in Gaza.
“I think the game could have gone ahead,” Sheratzky told local media. “Because it would have been played in Haifa, 250km north of the Gaza strip, where the conflict is taking place.
“What has happened is because Athletic are a team with a lot of power in Europe.”
Earlier in the day Abraham Luzon, the President of the Israeli FA, sought to assuage the Spanish side’s fears.
“Athletic can rest easy. The situation is under control. The police will provide maximum security to the team from the time they land, throughout their training and the game.”
