October 24 – Racist chants have been on the rise in Israeli football with Maccabi Tel Aviv the worst offenders, research by Kick It Out Israel has found, prompting NGO FairSquare to argue that the Israeli FA (IFA) is breaching UEFA statutes.

Released in June 2025 by Kick It Out (KIO) Israel, an initiative funded by Givat Haviva, a civil society organisation dedicated to fostering “a shared society for Jews and Arabs”, the report finds a sharp rise in racist behaviour among Israeli supporters and argues that IFA has taken little meaningful action to curb its alarming spread.

Maccabi Tel Aviv were the worst offenders. Kick It Out Israel found 367 instances in the 2024-25 season, a 64% increase in racist incidents from the previous season and the third consecutive season that racist chants were on the rise. Of those, 118 were linked to Maccabi supporters.

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

West Midlands police recently banned Maccabi fans from the Europa League match with Aston Villa in Birmingham in November. That ban prompted backlash from UK primeminister Keir Starmer and his government. The British PM called it a ‘wrong’ decision, but, ultimately, Maccabi, citing security concerns, announced that the club would not be taking up its away allocation of tickets.

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

Matan Segal, the director of Kick It Out Israel, said: “The 2024–2025 football season has come to an end—a season that will be remembered not for the 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—manifested in the absence of a dedicated sports judge, inadequate scheduling of early-hour matches, insufficient internal investigations, and more – reflects the absence of a serious and effective effort to combat these phenomena.”

Following a letter in September, NGO FairSquare has written again to UEFA, suggesting that the IFA has breached Article 7 of UEFA’s statutes, which require member associations to “implement an effective policy aimed at eradicating racism and any 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 behaviour of their supporters during and after the Ajax match, despite a large body of readily available evidence.”

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

In a response to The Guardian newspaper, IFA explained that it had a three-pronged approach to addressing abuse, via education, information campaigns and “strict disciplinary punishment”.

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

Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1761444101labto1761444101ofdlr1761444101owedi1761444101sni@i1761444101tnuk.1761444101ardni1761444101mas1761444101