An incident involving a Hapoel Beer-Sheva supporter occurred in Bucharest ahead of the first leg of the UEFA Champions League qualifying play-off against Azerbaijan's Sabah.
As reported by İdman.Biz, citing Romanian outlet Antena Sport, officers from the Bucharest Gendarmerie discovered more than 80 pyrotechnic items in the boot of a Hapoel supporter's car.
According to preliminary information from law enforcement authorities, the man intended to distribute the pyrotechnics to other supporters of the Israeli club who had arrived for the match. After the prohibited items were discovered, the necessary documents were prepared for referral to the criminal investigation authorities in accordance with Romanian legislation on explosives. However, there has been no official information that the supporter was arrested.
The match at the Giulești Stadium was held under heightened security measures. Access to the arena was restricted to ticket and accreditation holders, while the gendarmerie carried out additional checks inside the stadium, including in rooms and technical areas. Supporters were also reminded to comply with Romanian law, including restrictions on bringing pyrotechnic devices into the venue.
Another notable aspect of the match organisation concerned ticket sales. According to information provided by UEFA to Romanian media, Hapoel decided for security reasons that tickets would be available only to supporters of the Israeli club and would not be sold to local Romanian spectators.
Such a restriction is not a general UEFA rule for matches played at neutral venues. UEFA regulations provide for the possibility of three separate groups of spectators attending such fixtures: supporters of both participating teams and local neutral fans. Therefore, the arrangements for the Hapoel-Sabah match were specific to this fixture and were linked to security considerations.
Hapoel won the first leg 2-1. The return match between the teams will take place in Baku on August 25.
