Italian police confiscated 45 kilograms of pyrotechnic material from a bed-and-breakfast in central Bergamo on the eve of Atalanta's Conference League playoff first leg against Hapoel Tel Aviv, with two Israeli fans identified as having been staying at the property, ONE reports.
The haul, seized by Digos — Italy's specialist police unit — included smoke bombs and flares gathered up during a sweep of city-centre accommodation ahead of Thursday's kick-off. Neither ONE nor Italian outlets covering the operation reported any arrests; the two supporters were simply named as identified in connection with the find, and it remains unclear whether they now face charges.
The seizure came amid an unusually heavy security operation for what was, on paper, a routine European qualifying fixture. More than 1,000 Israeli fans travelled for the match, most on charter flights, with the visiting allocation sold out well before kick-off, according to BergamoNews.
Bergamo police described the deployment as comparable to the kind of operation mounted for a Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund Champions League visit — a striking benchmark for a Conference League playoff. Officers held technical meetings at police headquarters and inspected the stadium in the days beforehand, while a nearby construction site was secured specifically to stop loose materials being turned into projectiles.
A restricted traffic zone was extended around the ground, and the meeting point for travelling Hapoel supporters was moved after the original venue became unavailable. Fans were bussed to the stadium under police escort, with no autonomous entry permitted.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators also gathered near the stadium, ONE reported, in a protest Italian authorities had anticipated and planned around; UEFA regulations bar flags of countries not involved in the fixture from being displayed inside the ground.
The scale of the security response reflects a wider pattern rather than a one-off. Hapoel Tel Aviv, like other Israeli clubs in European competition, has been unable to host UEFA fixtures on home soil because of the ongoing security situation; the second leg of this tie is scheduled for 27 August at a neutral venue in Miskolc, Hungary, rather than in Israel.
On the pitch, the first leg finished goalless, 0-0, in what was also Maurizio Sarri's competitive debut as Atalanta head coach. The tie remains level heading into next week's return fixture.
