Hours before Beitar Jerusalem's Conference League qualifier in Cyprus, the club found itself fending off accusations that had nothing to do with tactics or team news.
A Larnaca hotel housing Beitar supporters sent a letter to its Israeli guests complaining of graffiti on the property, noise disturbances and a "sharp smell of grass smoking," according to Mako. The letter, sent to fans upon or shortly after arrival, demanded better conduct for the remainder of their stay.
Beitar spokesman Asaf Nahum rejected the substance of the complaints. "We checked and nothing happened," he said, adding that whatever the hotel described did not recur once the letter went out.
Nahum went further, saying the matter had also come up in the routine security meeting between local police and UEFA ahead of the match: the police representative told the UEFA delegate there had been "no unusual events."
At least one supporter pushed back on the hotel's account directly. Fan Shlomi Dehry told Mako it "looks like the letter was prepared in advance," saying he had heard of no such incidents since arriving.
Cypriot media reports had also alleged disturbances by Beitar fans in Larnaca's streets. The club denied any rioting, telling reporters that tear gas seen in footage from the area was used against local AEK Larnaca supporters who tried to confront the visiting fans, not against Beitar's own support.
With the club unable to secure any additional match tickets, Nahum was blunt about fans who traveled without one: "Without a ticket, they will not enter." Supporters have been told they must present both a passport and a valid ticket to get into the stadium, and those without tickets have been discouraged from making the trip to the gates at all.
The friction comes as Beitar Jerusalem prepare for the second qualifying round first leg away to AEK Larnaca at the AEK Arena – Georgios Karapatakis, kicking off Thursday at 19:30 Israel time — which this year falls during the Tisha B'Av fast, adding an extra logistical wrinkle for travelling fans and staff.
Beitar's hardline support base, including the La Familia group, has drawn UEFA and disciplinary scrutiny on previous European trips, which is part of why any hint of trouble abroad tends to escalate quickly into a story of its own — even when, as the club insists here, the underlying claims don't hold up.
