Reports find increasing racism on Israeli terraces with Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters leading the charge

24 October – Racist chanting is on the rise in Israeli football and Maccabi Tel Aviv is the worst offender, according to Kick It Out Israel research, prompting NGO FairSquare to argue that the Israeli FA (IFA) is breaking UEFA law.

Released in June 2025 by Israel’s Kick It Out (KIO), an initiative funded by Givat Haviva, a civil society organization dedicated to fostering a “common society for Jews and Arabs,” the report found a sharp rise in racist behavior among supporters of Israel and argued that the IFA has taken little meaningful action to curb its alarming spread.

Maccabi Tel Aviv is the worst offender. Kick It Out Israel found 367 cases in the 2024-25 season, a 64% increase in racist incidents from the previous season and the third consecutive season in which racist chants increased. Of these, 118 people were linked to Maccabi supporters.

Maccabi fans have long had a bad reputation. They were at the heart of the violence in Amsterdam ahead of Ajax – Maccabi Tel Aviv in the European club competition. ‘Let the IDF win, to hell with the Arabs’ was the song heard from Maccabi fans that night in the Dutch capital.

West Midlands Police recently banned Maccabi fans from attending their Europa League match against Aston Villa in Birmingham in November. The ban sparked a backlash from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government. The British PM called it a ‘wrong’ decision, however, in the end, Maccabi, citing security concerns, announced that the club would not take its away ticket allocation.

Beitar Jerusalem was the club with the second most racist chants, with 115 incidents. Racist chants were recorded at every stadium in the league, except FC Ashdod.

Matan Segal, director of Kick It Out Israel, said: “The 2024-2025 football season is over—a season that will be remembered not for football itself, but for a series of troubling events that should concern every citizen in Israel. The lack of enforcement against racism, violence and homophobia—manifests itself in the absence of dedicated sports judges, inadequate scheduling of early morning matches, inadequate in-house work. investigations, and more – reflect the absence of serious and effective efforts to combat this phenomenon.”

Following the letter in September, the NGO FairSquare again wrote to UEFA, stating that the IFA had violated Article 7 of the UEFA constitution, which requires member associations to “implement effective policies aimed at eradicating racism and all other forms of discrimination”.

FairSquare also wrote: “The KIO Israel report also shows that the Israel Football Association took no action against Maccabi Tel Aviv for the racist behavior of their supporters during and after the Ajax match, despite ample evidence available.”

The report notes that in the 2024-2025 season, the IFA initiated only 12 disciplinary proceedings over fan racism. Kick It Out Israel attributes responsibility for the rise in racism among Israeli fans to Israeli football authorities.

Responding to The Guardian newspaper, the IFA explained that it has a three-pronged approach to tackling abuse, through education, information campaigns and “rigorous disciplinary measures”.

The IFA added: “Racist comments from fans have no place on football pitches and in general. In the face of manifestations of antisemitism and racist comments against Israel and Jews, we insist on proving that the opposite is possible. It would be better if those who accuse Israeli football of racism looked at themselves first.”

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