Beitar Jerusalem spent Thursday morning fighting a battle that had nothing to do with football — pushing back hard against reports that its travelling fans had left a trail of trouble through the streets of Larnaca overnight, just hours before the club's Conference League qualifier against AEK Larnaca.
Cypriot and Israeli media had reported violent clashes involving Beitar supporters in the city overnight, with some outlets alleging damage caused by fans staying at the Radisson Blu hotel, according to ONE. Those reports said hotel management had documented graffiti on walls, late-night disturbances and marijuana use in and around rooms used by the travelling group.
Beitar's response, relayed by ONE, was blunt: "Our fans caused no damage to the city's streets." The club said any tear gas deployed near the team's hotel had been used exclusively against AEK Larnaca supporters who instigated the confrontation — not against its own fans, as some of the reporting had implied.
The club said it had launched its own inquiry into the night's events in coordination with the Larnaca police commander, though it did not disclose a timeline for that investigation or detail specific findings beyond its denial of property damage.
Beitar also turned its fire on the Israeli press, accusing outlets of publishing accounts of the night's events before verifying the facts. The club urged more caution in future coverage and appealed to Israeli media to back the country's clubs during what it called a sensitive period for the team's travelling support in Europe.
It would not be the first time Beitar's away following has drawn scrutiny on the continent. The club's fans set off pyrotechnics during a Conference League qualifier away to Latvia's RFS in Riga last August, an episode that made international headlines at the time.
The controversy landed on the same day Beitar were due to kick off their 2026-27 European campaign at AEK Larnaca in the Conference League's second qualifying round, a tie the club has been building toward for weeks amid separate frustration among supporters over the cost and scarcity of away tickets for the trip to Cyprus.
For now, the dispute over what actually happened in Larnaca overnight rests on dueling accounts — the club's flat denial against a hotel's documented complaints — with no independent Cypriot or Israeli outlet yet confirming either version in full.
