VfB Stuttgart are heading into their last European match of the year and can take a big step toward the knockout round with a win. Their upcoming opponent is Maccabi Tel Aviv, who currently sit in second-to-last place. Journalist Felix Tamsut tells us how things are going at MTA.
With the Red Stripe: What’s your personal stance toward Maccabi Tel Aviv? Are you a fan?
Felix: I don’t have any personal or emotional connection to the club. I do have many friends who support MTA’s archrivals, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa, but I myself don’t support any Israeli club, even though I grew up in Israel.
How is Maccabi Tel Aviv’s season going, both internationally and domestically?
Mixed. Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Israeli champion, is still in the title race and currently sits in third place, five points behind league leaders Hapoel Beer Sheva. On the other hand, there are a number of problems at the moment. On the pitch, the team doesn’t look good, and many fans believe Serbian coach Zarko Lazetic is to blame. Things escalated to the point where flares were fired toward his apartment, leading him to want to leave the club and the country. As a result, the club issued several stadium bans against members of MTA’s only ultra group, the Maccabi Fanatics. In addition, there are investigations in the Netherlands against Fanatics members because of the incidents in Amsterdam, and the Fanatics have strongly criticized the club and the Israeli police because of this. So there is a lot of unrest at the club right now.
The fans of Tel Aviv have a bad reputation and are considered violent. How do you assess that?
As always, some people want to paint a black-and-white picture when it comes to football fans. Maccabi Tel Aviv is perhaps the most widely supported club in Israel. It has fans from all corners of Israeli society, and these people are football fans like any others. At the same time, you also have to take the Maccabi Fanatics into account. They are a far-right, violence-prone ultra group that travels everywhere with the team. They exist too. But you have to see this in the context of the broader fan culture in Europe and not as a standalone issue. In other words: there are far more notorious, far more violent ultra groups in football, and they’ve also been in Germany in recent years supporting their respective clubs. Maccabi Tel Aviv fans are not Red Star Belgrade or Olympiakos, and anyone claiming otherwise is simply wrong.
VfB have strengthened their security measures and have banned the carrying and displaying of flags, banners, signs, and fan items of any kind outside of the Cannstatter Kurve and the away sector, except for fan shirts, scarves, and hats. What do you think about that?
I always think measures that restrict football fans’ freedom—whether it concerns their creativity or freedom of movement—deserve criticism. But in this case there is a certain context, namely that certain groups want to use the match for their own purposes. The Middle East conflict has nothing to do with VfB Stuttgart, its fan scene, or its club identity. For example, it’s not common to see statements or positions on this topic in the Cannstatter Kurve. That’s why I find the club’s approach—although I view it critically—understandable, and I also think the way many ultra groups from the Cannstatter Kurve, especially CC97, have handled the situation is very nuanced and well-informed. It’s also good that the club stayed in contact with the active fan scene so that a free and colorful Kurve would still be possible. From a fan perspective, though, one must stay alert to ensure this doesn’t set a precedent.
Let’s talk about the sporting side. Who is Maccabi’s best player? Which players does VfB need to watch out for?
One player to keep an eye on is Dor Peretz. The midfielder is at the heart of MTA’s playing style and is also the club’s top scorer in the league. Maccabi Tel Aviv are shaky at the goalkeeper position at the moment, and in attack they’ll be without striker Ion Nicolaescu, whose injury has ended his season.
Your prediction for the match?
My prediction: a clear win for VfB, 3–0.
Picture: © Christian Fischer/Bongarts/Getty Images