Sunday’s Israeli Premier League match was called-off after what police described as “public disorder and violent riots” which saw 15 people injured, including three officers.
Smoke grenades and pyrotechnic devices were thrown with nine people arrested and a further 16 detained for questioning.
On Monday, Maccabi officials placed the blame for the postponement at the door of their rivals.
A club spokesman told the PA news agency: Maccabi Tel Aviv FC would like to clarify that the reason given for the cancellation of the derby match hosted yesterday by Hapoel Tel Aviv FC – unlike as reported by some (foreign) media – was as a result of flares thrown on to the pitch by fans of our opponent Hapoel Tel Aviv, not visiting fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv.”
The postponement comes just days after officials in the West Midlands said that Maccabi fans should not be allowed to attend the match at Villa on November 6 because of safety concerns.
That decision by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) has been the focus of widespread criticism, including from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with the UK government now working to overturn the ban.
“This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets,” said Starmer, after it was announced last Thursday. “The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”
West Midlands police, which sits on the SAG, has supported the ban having classified the fixture as “high risk” based on intelligence and previous incidents.
Chief among those were the “violent clashes and hate-crime offences” which took place when Maccabi played against Ajax last year in Amsterdam.
In a statement issued on Sunday night, Hapoel placed the blame for the derby cancellation at the door of the Israeli police, claiming they had prepared “for a war, not a sporting event”.