Amsterdam bans Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer club amid wider push to exclude Israelis from sports and culture

The Amsterdam City Council has declared Israeli soccer club Maccabi Tel Aviv “unwelcome” in the city, with a large majority of council members backing the unprecedented move. Only the VVD, JA21, FVD, and CDA parties opposed the decision.

Sheher Khan, a Dutch politician of Pakistani descent who leads the left-wing Denk party, initiated the move by stating that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans support genocide in the Gaza Strip.

“The hardcore of their fans supports genocide – and that alone is reason enough,” Khan argued, while calling for a ban on sports clubs that operate in “illegal settlements or occupied territories.” However, Tel Aviv was established in 1909 on the Mediterranean coast and is located within Israel’s internationally recognized boundaries.

Amsterdam’s City Council justified its controversial decision by blaming Israeli soccer fans for causing violence in the city.

Last November, at least 10 Israeli soccer fans were injured by Muslim gangs in Amsterdam when Maccabi Tel Aviv played against the local club Ajax. The attack on the Israeli fans was widely condemned and described as an antisemitic pogrom.

At the time, Dutch right-wing coalition leader Geert Wilders strongly condemned the attack.

“Pogrom in the streets of Amsterdam. We have become the Gaza of Europe. Muslims with Palestinian flags hunting down Jews. I will NOT accept that. NEVER. The authorities will be held accountable for their failure to protect the Israeli citizens. Never again,” Wilders stated.

Amsterdam officials will reportedly send an official letter to the Dutch Football Association and the Dutch Olympic Committee, demanding that the Israeli soccer club be barred from participating in any sporting events in the city.

The decision caused some negative reactions on social media.

“This is pure antisemitism,” one user wrote, while another added, “In the end, Islam will conquer Amsterdam too.”

The decision appears to be part of a concerted effort to ban not only Maccabi Tel Aviv but all Israeli athletes from participating in European sports competitions.

In the United Kingdom, Member of Parliament Ayoub Khan, a Pakistan-born British independent politician and barrister, is lobbying to have Maccabi Israel banned from playing there as well.

“On 6 November, Aston Villa are due to host Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park in Birmingham. We are calling on UEFA, the UK Culture Minister, and the club itself to urgently cancel this fixture or take immediate steps to ensure public safety and community harmony,” Khan posted on 𝕏 last week.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has publicly praised pro-Palestinian protesters who disrupted the Vuelta a España cycling race due to the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team. He has also urged international sports bodies to consider excluding Israeli teams from competitions in response.

Similar efforts to ban and exclude Israelis are underway in the cultural sphere, with around 1,800 members of the Hollywood movie industry – including well-known celebrities – recently signing a letter vowing to boycott the Israeli film industry, which they falsely accused of involvement in “genocide” in Gaza.

In Europe, pressure is mounting to bar Israel from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, with some countries threatening to withdraw if Israel participates. As part of the pressure campaign, Israeli participants have reportedly been presented with unofficial proposals, including a temporary withdrawal from the contest until the Gaza war ends or competing under a neutral flag.