Belgian mayor blocks club from hosting Israeli opponent in Europa League

Union Saint-Gilloise were to host Hapoel Beer-Sheva in Europa League, but Belgian mayor insists on different venue.Published On 1 Sep 20261 Sep 2026A Belgian mayor is refusing to let his city host Israeli club Hapoel Beer-Sheva for a Europa League game, meaning Union Saint-Gilloise will need to find a new venue for the match.Union, who competed in the UEFA Champions League last season, are due to host the Israeli champion on October 22 after the 36-team Europa League draw was made last Friday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Pitso Mosimane appointed by South Africa ahead of AFCON qualifierslist 2 of 4‘No one else like him’: Argentinians rally for Lionel Messilist 3 of 4Barcelona sign Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal for a reported $11.6mlist 4 of 4Football power struggle caused FIFA World Cup plan fallout, says Kushnerend of listThe Belgian league runner-up wanted to play all four of its home games in Leuven because its own stadium in Brussels does not meet UEFA standards for European competitions.The mayor of Leuven, Mohamed Ridouani, said Monday evening that the city will not grant permission for the game “for the sake of public safety”, even in an empty stadium.Ridouani s...