European football's governing body has sent the bill for a bruising summer of qualifying football to three Israeli clubs at once. UEFA has fined Hapoel Beer Sheva, Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel Aviv a combined €47,575 for fan misconduct during this summer's Champions League and Conference League qualifiers, ONE reports, with reigning Israeli champions Beer Sheva shouldering by far the heaviest share.
According to the outlet, Beer Sheva were fined across three separate matches for a combined €24,250 — more than half the overall total. UEFA imposed €6,000 over the home leg against Iceland's Víkingur Reykjavík, then two further penalties from the tie with Red Star Belgrade: €10,000 for the home leg, described by ONE as the single heaviest individual fine among all three clubs, and €8,250 for the away leg in Belgrade.
The fines have landed in the middle of an otherwise successful European run for the champions. Beer Sheva lost the first leg away to Víkingur before winning at home to advance on aggregate, then eliminated Red Star Belgrade in the following round to reach the Champions League qualifying play-off, where they now stand two ties from the group stage.
Beitar Jerusalem's punishment was €18,325, which ONE reported came over fan conduct in the away leg of their Conference League qualifier against AEK Larnaca of Cyprus. The source did not detail the specific offences beyond describing them as incidents during the match. Beitar eventually eliminated Larnaca on penalties after the tie finished level over two legs.
Hapoel Tel Aviv drew the smallest of the three fines, €5,000, over incidents in the home leg of their own Conference League qualifier against GKS Katowice of Poland. Despite the penalty, Tel Aviv advanced past the Polish side on aggregate and now face a considerably tougher assignment in the play-off round against Atalanta.
UEFA does not appear to have attached any stadium restrictions or suspended sanctions to any of the three fines, based on ONE's reporting — the clubs' punishment, for now, is purely financial. All three sides remain alive in their respective European qualifying campaigns despite the penalties.
