Beitar Jerusalem's European trip to Cyprus took an awkward turn hours before kickoff on Thursday, after the hotel housing the club's traveling delegation and fans issued a written complaint over supporters' behavior, according to ONE.
The Radisson Blu in Larnaca circulated a letter to guests citing three specific grievances tied to the visiting Beitar contingent: graffiti and physical damage near the hotel entrance, noise disturbances in the corridors overnight, and a strong smell of cannabis smoke in parts of the building.
"Like we respect them, we expect them to behave respectfully," a hotel staff member told ONE, confirming that graffiti had been sprayed and damage caused at the entrance to the property.
The friction comes as Beitar prepare for the first leg of their UEFA Conference League second qualifying round tie against AEK Larnaca, kicking off at 19:30 local time. Roughly 500 tickets were allocated to Beitar's traveling support, with dozens more supporters said to have made the trip without pre-purchased tickets.
Head coach Almog Cohen, in his first campaign in charge after moving up from the club's sporting director role, was finalizing his starting lineup on matchday, with the club also having to factor in Tisha B'Av, the Jewish fast day falling on the same date, when assessing players' physical readiness.
The tie is a significant early test for Cohen, who succeeded Barak Itzhaki after Beitar finished as runners-up in the Israeli Premier League last season. The club's Conference League run a year ago ended at the third qualifying round stage, and this season's campaign begins a round earlier against Cypriot opposition.
AEK Larnaca themselves finished second in Cyprus last season and enter the tie under new head coach Mauro Camoranesi, the former Juventus and Italy World Cup winner who was appointed to lead the club into this year's European qualifiers.
The return leg is scheduled for July 30, with AEK Larnaca set to host the second leg away from Larnaca, in Ploiesti, Romania, under the competition's stadium arrangements.
Beitar's traveling fans have a documented recent history of run-ins abroad, including scenes at last season's Conference League trip to Riga, and the club will be keen for Thursday's hotel dispute not to overshadow its return to a two-legged European qualifier it has targeted as an opportunity to advance further than in past campaigns.
