Hapoel Be'er Sheva fans mobilize to secure release of detained supporter in Hungary
A fan was arrested on Tuesday for spray-painting club symbols on a wall in Szombathely. Friends raised the 3,000 euro fine to assist in his release.
A Hapoel Be'er Sheva fan who was detained in Hungary has been released and is on his way to Israel. On Tuesday, about an hour before the match against Red Star Belgrade, local police arrested a fan who had sprayed graffiti featuring Hapoel Be'er Sheva club symbols on a wall at a gas station on the way to Szombathely.
Security cameras captured the act, and the footage was transferred to the police, who arrested him before the match began. The fan remained in detention for nearly two days. During this time, various parties assisted in his release, and eventually, fellow fans mobilized to donate the funds required to pay his 3,000 euro fine.
Sources within Hapoel Be'er Sheva and other teams currently playing home games in Europe stated that fans must remain cautious, especially when Israeli teams are hosted in countries that allow them to hold their home matches abroad.
As previously reported, Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were sanctioned with a behind-closed-doors match in Batumi, Georgia, following a pyrotechnics display during a game against Sheriff Tiraspol. Individual cases of graffiti and other disturbances continue to pose a risk of arrest for traveling supporters.
