Cyprus agrees to bill Maccabi Tel Aviv for match policing
Justice Minister Costas Fitiris told MPs that Cyprus had agreed to invoice Maccabi Tel Aviv for policing its home fixtures, although none had yet taken place on the island.
Limassol, Cyprus. Cyprus has agreed to invoice Maccabi Tel Aviv for policing its home fixtures, Justice Minister Costas Fitiris told MPs on Monday. He confirmed that the club had not yet played a match on the island.
Minister addresses policing arrangements
Answering questions before the House finance committee, Fitiris said the opening fixture had not taken place in Cyprus, but that the second scheduled match might proceed there.
Related: AfD Reworks Its Europe Policy as Its Chances of Entering Government Grow
RelatedAfD Reworks Its Europe Policy as Its Chances of Entering Government GrowThe arrangements followed a formal request from Maccabi, sent to President Nikos Christodoulides in a letter dated September 22. Police approved the request earlier this month, and Cyprus prepared the Spyros Kyprianou arena in Limassol for the club’s Euroleague fixture against Real Madrid on October 22.
That match was ultimately held in Belgrade at the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall rather than in Limassol.
Uncertainty over upcoming fixtures
A source familiar with the security preparations previously told the Cyprus Mail that Maccabi had sought Euroleague approval to stage its remaining home fixtures in Israel. According to the source, the club would relocate those matches to Cyprus if permission was denied.
The next home fixture, against Paris Basketball on Thursday October 29, appears in schedules as taking place in Belgrade, despite earlier plans for Limassol.
The proposed Cyprus programme also included fixtures against Hapoel Tel Aviv, scheduled for November 12; Olympiacos, scheduled for November 17; Dubai Basketball, scheduled for November 19; and Zalgiris Kaunas, scheduled for December 15.
Limassol had been expected to host between 12 and 15 of Maccabi’s home fixtures, with the total dependent on the club’s progress.
Earlier request reportedly rejected
Cyprus is understood to have rejected a comparable request in June 2025, after police said they could not ensure safety at events of that kind.
Related news
This news item was generated automatically by Cyprus Inform from publicly available materials. Report an error →
Write a comment