Real Madrid confirmed on Monday that their EuroLeague basketball fixture against Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv will take place without spectators present at the Movistar Arena this Thursday.
The Spanish giants cited security concerns as the primary reason for barring fans from the contest.
Supporters who had purchased tickets for the match will receive full refunds, the club stated.
"Following a meeting of the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance in Sport, which declared the game high-risk, Real Madrid is complying with the recommendation made by the National Police," the club announced.
Real Madrid confirmed on Monday that their EuroLeague basketball fixture against Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv will take place without spectators
|PA
The decision marks the latest disruption to Spanish sporting fixtures involving Israeli competitors.
The State Commission's classification of the fixture as high-risk prompted the National Police to advise that spectators be excluded from the venue.
More than 250 organisations had called for the match to be cancelled outright, citing Israel's military operations in Gaza as grounds for suspension.
These groups have organised a demonstration outside the arena scheduled to coincide with Thursday's contest.
Pro-Palestinian sentiment remains particularly pronounced in Spain, where objections to Israeli participation in sporting events have intensified over the past year.
The Vuelta a Espana was dominated by pro-Palestine protestors | REUTERSThe closed-doors arrangement represents a compromise between those demanding complete cancellation and the continuation of scheduled EuroLeague competition.
The Vuelta a Espana cycling race suffered significant disruption last year when protesters repeatedly entered the course, forcing organisers to abandon the Madrid finale and truncate several stages.
Barcelona face an identical situation when they host Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv on Tuesday, with that EuroLeague encounter also proceeding without supporters in attendance.
These incidents form part of a broader pattern of demonstrations targeting Israeli athletes and teams competing on Spanish soil.
In the current EuroLeague standings, Real Madrid occupy tenth position with eleven victories, whilst Maccabi sit fourteenth having secured eight wins from their campaign thus far.
Security measures affecting Israeli basketball clubs have extended well beyond Spain's borders throughout the EuroLeague season.
Real Madrid cited security concerns for their reason
|REAL MADRID
Matches featuring Maccabi and Hapoel Tel Aviv were staged at neutral locations from October 2023 until December due to ongoing protests connected to the Gaza conflict.
A fixture between Paris and Maccabi was disrupted by stink bombs during the previous campaign.
Turkish club Fenerbahce opted to relocate their November home fixtures against both Israeli sides to Munich rather than host them in Istanbul.
Similarly, Dubai's encounter with Hapoel took place behind closed doors in Sarajevo during November, with Bosnian authorities citing comparable security considerations.