A Europa League game is set to be played behind closed doors after being relocated

Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise are set to host their Europa League clash with Israeli outfit Hapoel Beer-Sheva behind closed doors in Germany due to security concerns. The game will be played at Dusseldorf Arena, which has a capacity of almost 55,000, but no fans will be in attendance on Thursday after the fixture was relocated.

Union SG play their domestic games at Joseph Marien Stadium in Brussels, but the stadium does not meet UEFA regulations. In August, the club announced that they would hold their European ties at Den Dreef in nearby Leuven.

However, being drawn against Hapoel Beer-Sheva in the Europa League has led to further complications. The city of Leuven banned the match from being hosted at Den Dreef due to fears of unrest, given the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Leuven mayor Mohamed Ridouani previously prevented the men’s and women’s national teams from playing Israel at Den Dreef. On the decision not to host Hapoel Beer-Sheva, he told Belgian broadcaster VRT: “I consistently draw the line there. We cannot guarantee safety.”

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Union SG were subsequently forced to find an alternative stadium. The Brussels Times reports that the club’s preference had been to find a venue that would permit supporters to attend, but their search was unsuccessful.

Dusseldorf Arena, ordinarily home to Fortuna Dusseldorf, was ultimately selected as it would cause minimal disruption to the team’s preparation, despite fans not being allowed into the stadium. However, the Belgian side’s manager David Hubert, who also briefly played for Hapoel Beer-Sheva, admitted his disappointment.

“We worked very hard to have four European matches to play at home in front of our fans,” the Union SG boss said. “It's a situation that saddens me and is very unfortunate, but it's beyond my control.

“The only thing we have in our hands is the personality and character we show on the pitch. I see this as a challenge to overcome, one that will require each of us to give even more.”

Union SG began their league phase campaign with an away victory over Viktoria Plzen before drawing with Real Sociedad in Leuven. Meanwhile, their upcoming opponents recently lost to AZ Alkmaar and were previously forced to play their draw with Dinamo Zagreb in Bucharest due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Regarding the decision for their match against Union SG to be played behind closed doors, Hapoel Beer-Sheva manager Ran Kozuch said: “It's very frustrating. Football is made for the fans and by the fans. It's sad, and it's something we'll miss. I would have preferred to play this match in a noisy atmosphere, but we have to deal with the situation.”

Union SG midfielder Besfort Zeneli shared his thoughts on the prospect of playing a European tie without fans in attendance. “My first impression of the stadium? It's really nice, but nothing compares to Duden Park (Joseph Marien Stadium),” he said. “It's still a big match. It's a European fixture and I don't think you need any extra motivation for this kind of occasion.”