These were images that are rarely seen at Veolia Towers Hamburg. During the basketball team’s Eurocup match against Tel Aviv, the guests’ fans kept setting off fireworks. The head of the association does not find it funny at all.
In the Towers’ 98:91 Eurocup win against Hapoel Tel Aviv, away fans burned dozens of Bengali fires. This fireworks display, coupled with the strong support of the Israelis, created a spectacular atmosphere.
Lukas Meisner spoke of one of the “most beautiful experiences” you can have in Hamburg. His boss, however, had a completely different opinion.
“It angers me that the health and safety of bystanders and our employees in the arena are being haphazardly compromised here,” said chief executive Marvin Willoughby.
Towers boss Willoughby criticizes Tel Aviv fans after setting fires in Bengal
Even before the match, the Hanseatic League tried to prevent the torches from going out by talking to the police and visiting supporter representatives. However, “enormous quantities of pyrotechnic articles could not be prevented from being smuggled into the arena”.
There were no injuries Wednesday evening. According to the 44-year-old, this should not be “an excuse for this misconduct”.
The heated evening could have aftereffects for the Towers: the Euroleague, the organizer of the Eurocup, has announced that the events will be under consideration.
