Three fans of the Maccabi Haifa soccer team who are in Strasbourg, France, for a match between Maccabi Haifa and the local club, RC Strasbourg Alsace, scheduled to take place at 9:30 p.m. Thursday were attacked by locals late Wednesday night.
The local residents beat the Israeli fans, who escaped without serious injury. After the attack, the fans contacted the Maccabi Haifa team, who are staying at a Strasbourg hotel, and told them what had taken place. A member of the team's security personnel took their statements and filed a complaint with the local police.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Ayalon, one of the three Israeli victims, gave Israel Hayom an exclusive account of the violent events.
"We went out in the evening to eat, without any Maccabi Haifa paraphernalia. All of a sudden, we saw five or six people standing and listening to us. They came up to us, asked for passports and for us to show them our phones so they could see our Facebook and Instagram. They wanted to see how we were.
"Then they shouted that we were Maccabi Haifa [fans]. We told them we were just tourists, but really quickly they started slapping us, throwing chairs and hitting, and punching us in the face. Some of the locals got up to get them off us and they [the assailants] ran away. We're really worried about what will happen next, and we don't know if we'll be at the game."
"We got in touch with the team. The security officer recommended that we file a complaint and took our names. We're afraid to leave the hotel, because they know where we are," Ayalon said.
Ayalon said he wanted to warn Israeli fans who were in Strasbourg for the match to "take the police warnings seriously."
"We were lucky, because we were in a crowded place. It could have ended much worse," he said.
On Wednesday morning, the Strasbourg police announced restrictions for the some 600 Israelis expected to attend Thursday evening's match, which include a ban on waving the Israeli flag in the stadium or anywhere in the city. Maccabi Haifa fans are also forbidden to wear team shirts or other items bearing the team logo on the day of the match.
