Rival football fans continue pitch brawl outside court

Rival football fans in Israel have brawled outside a courthouse dealing with supporters who had stormed a pitch and caused the abandonment of a top-flight derby match.

Video footage from Tel Aviv (at the bottom of the article) showed fans flailing wildly on the street and hitting each other with belts and sticks for several minutes.

The skirmish added to outrage in Israel over rising football violence which resulted in the cancelling of last night’s Premier League game between city rivals Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv.

The teams were drawing 1-1 in the first half when a shirtless fan ran on to the field and began hitting and kicking Maccabi midfielder Eran Zehavi.

The two exchanged blows for several moments before security dragged the fan away. The referee then gave Zehavi a red card, sparking a furious reaction from players and fans.

After numerous other supporters ran on to the field and began exchanging blows, the game was abandoned and the players taken off the pitch.

Hapoel’s manager, the former Manchester City and West Ham midfielder Eyal Berkovic, called it a “black day” for Israeli football, adding: “This is not soccer, this is war.”