UEFA started a disciplinary process on Wednesday after fans in Malta chanted “Palestine, Palestine” during a Champions League qualifier between Israeli team Maccabi Haifa and Maltese team Hamrun Spartans.
This caused the game to be stopped and Maccabi Haifa to lose to Hamrun Spartans.
On Tuesday night, emotions rose when Maccabi fans threw flares onto the field at the Centenary Stadium in Ta’ Qali, Malta, in reaction to the chants of the Maltese fans. The tourists were up by two goals at the time.
The game had to stop for half an hour.
The group in charge of football in Europe, UEFA, charged both teams with “throwing objects” and “disturbing the crowd” by their fans. Maccabi was charged with “lighting fireworks” and “acts of damage” as well.
The Times of Israel says that five people who back Israel were arrested.
The newspaper Malta Today said that on Wednesday, two people pleaded guilty in a local judges court.
It said that the cops told the court that the two men were caught for throwing flares and that three more flares were found when they were checked.
The two guys were each fined 300 euros ($334) and given a 12-month jail term that was put on hold for three years.
Earlier, cops said that when fans were searched at the stadium entrance, flares were found in their underwear.
The score was 4-0 for Maccabi. The second match will take place in Israel on July 18.
This month, Israeli troops did the biggest raid in the West Bank in years. During the two-day military operation, twelve Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed.