Maccabi Tel Aviv, the game of shame (cross-border guide)

Context

In a nutshell

• The Conference League match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Lugano has been called 'the game of shame' by several Ticino associations.
• The mobilization against the dispute of the meeting was officially called for August 20, the date of the opening whistle.

Key facts

• The match: Maccabi Tel Aviv - Lugano
• Date: August 20
• Place: Lugano, Cornaredo Stadium
• Organisers: Gaza Action Ticino and Unitary Coordination in Support of Palestine
• Entities involved: City of Lugano, FC Lugano, Ticino Cantonal Police

The match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Lugano has been called 'the game of shame' in the context of a heated public debate that runs through Italian Switzerland and the entire Confederation. The mobilisation against Maccabi Tel Aviv - Lugano was called for 20 August by Gaza Action Ticino and the Unitary Coordination in Support of Palestine, raising logistical, financial and public order questions for the municipal and cantonal authorities.

The football comparison puts extraordinary costs for public safety on the table, estimated based on previous interventions by the Ticino cantonal police for high-risk events. At the regulatory level, the Law on the Police of the Canton of Ticino (LPol) of 11 November 1987, and in particular the articles relating to the maintenance of public order, oblige the authorities to ensure the protection of property and persons, with the use of

Operational details

Freedom of expression and demonstration is a fundamental pillar of the Swiss democratic order, enshrined in Article 16 of the Swiss Federal Constitution of 18 April 1999. However, in the context of the recent geopolitical tensions that are inevitably reflected on the national territory, it is essential to rigorously distinguish personal opinions from verifiable facts and support with adequate evidence accusations of exceptional gravity raised in the public debate.

The source mentions the 1988 Hamas Charter, a historical document that contains explicit programmatic references to the destruction of the State of Israel. Moreover, the political, financial and logistical support regularly provided by the Islamic Republic of Iran to Hamas and other regional organizations designated as terrorist by the Confederation is amply documented and confirmed by the reports of international intelligence and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).

These international dynamics do not remain confined to the Middle East, but generate complex public order challenges in the main Swiss urban areas. Cities such as Zurich, Geneva and Bern frequently find themselves managing sporting events and events with high geopolitical risk, where public security must be balanced with the constitutional rights of protesters.

For the cantonal and municipal authorities called upon to manage similar events, the planning

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Key points

It is important to note that the match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Lugano is a sporting event and not an opportunity to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, it is understandable that the mobilization against Maccabi Tel Aviv - Lugano was called to express disapproval of the presence of Israeli players and executives in the team. If there is evidence of war crimes, it is important that it is presented and verified.

The management of international sporting events with high geopolitical risk on Swiss territory requires considerable logistical and financial deployment by the cantonal and municipal authorities. Analysing the costs incurred by the city of Lugano and the Canton of Ticino, figures comparable to other similar events managed in French and German Switzerland emerge.

To ensure public safety during meetings considered sensitive, the Cantonal Police of Ticino, in collaboration with the Municipal Police of Lugano, activates standardized operating protocols pursuant to the Federal Law on Measures for the Safeguarding of Internal Security (LMSI) of 21 March 2003. The estimated costs for the extraordinary security device amount to approximately CHF 180,000, which covers overtime for personnel, dog units and technical support for monitoring the perimeter of the Cornaredo stadium.

By way of comparison, in 2022 the city of Zurich faced public order expenses equal to

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Source: tio.ch