Belgian soccer club Union Saint-Gilloise will be forced to find an alternative venue for its Europa League home match against Hapoel Be’er Sheva after Leuven Mayor Mohamed Ridouani announced that he would not allow the Israeli team to play in the city. The match is scheduled for Oct. 22 as part of the competition’s league phase.
According to Belgian media reports, Ridouani cited public safety concerns for the decision and made clear that, as far as he is concerned, the match would not be permitted in Leuven even without spectators. “Union is welcome here, but when it comes to an Israeli team, no. I am consistent on this,” the mayor said.
The decision comes because Union cannot host its European matches at its home stadium in Brussels, which does not meet UEFA standards. As a result, the club had arranged to play its European home matches at the stadium in Leuven. At least its match against Hapoel Be’er Sheva, however, will now apparently have to be moved elsewhere.
Ridouani, who has previously expressed staunchly anti-Israel positions, has repeatedly spoken out against Israel over the war in Gaza. In April 2025, the Leuven municipality called for an end to the war in Gaza and announced that it would fly the PLO flag over City Hall, alongside providing emergency aid to Gaza.
Union Saint-Gilloise must now secure an alternative venue for its match against Hapoel Be’er Sheva, with the European schedule leaving the club less than two months to find a stadium that meets UEFA requirements.