Two Israeli flags and effective shielding: Maccabi leaves Valencia safe but defeated

Two Israeli flags, one behind the bench and another in the stands, a minute of silence and a black t-shirt with the motto: Bring them home now.. The Euroleague match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Valencia Basket was almost normal. Brilliant on the field, with the locals dominating in the third and last quarter until taking the victory, in the stands he was weak. I had to be. The conflict between Israel and Hamas turns all Jewish teams into targets and Valencia experienced it. La Fonteta was shielded and that dissuaded fans from attending one of the games that raised the most expectations. In an entrance room was the pavilion that tried to be a cauldron and, at times, as they saw their team getting closer to victory. [Narrative and statistics (75-66)]

It was not easy not to give in to prudence and let the grief pass.. Four hours before the meeting, more than 700 police officers took over the area. Perimeter closure, canine units, uniformed and plainclothes police and even anti-terrorist patrols that accompanied Maccabi flew over their arrival to the city from the Parador Nacional del Saler, the bunker where they were held and where they had the scare during the match: a fire nearby, which was controlled.

The Israeli players needed to come into contact with a reality that has become a nightmare. Settled in Cyprus, they continue playing even though their minds are somewhere else. The T-shirt was a sign of where: with the Israelis kidnapped by Hamas, with their families. Some also wore the protest in Hebrew on their wrist and everyone on the bench held two flags of their country while, in the central circle, everyone, including those from Valencia Basket, showed respect for the victims.

There were no more gestures and no hint of conflict emerged, but it was impossible to ignore an atmosphere that forced people to pass metal control arches at the entrances to the pavilion, reduced mobility around the perimeter of the field and prevented any attempt to approach the players. Maccabi players. Not even in the mixed zone. The fear of an attack is atrocious. In Valencia, the device prepared by the National Police worked and, even without victory, Maccabi returned to Cyprus safely.