Maccabi Haifa to host Villarreal match in Cyprus

Jerusalem: Israeli champions Maccabi Haifa will host the Europa League match against Spain’s Villarreal in Cyprus, the Israeli club said in a statement on Friday, citing UEFA’s decision.

Due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which broke out on October 7, UEFA banned the holding of competitions in Israel until further notice.

The Haifa-Villarreal meeting, on Matchday 4 of Group F, will take place on the original date, November 9, at the AEK Arena in Larnaca.

It will be played behind closed doors, as decided by UEFA and the Cypriot authorities for security reasons.

The other match between the two teams, on Matchday 3, was previously postponed from October 26 to December 6.

Haifa’s foreign players, who left Israel shortly after the war started, are supposed to arrive directly in Cyprus and participate in a six-day training that the team plans to hold on the Mediterranean island until the match.