Last update - 00:00 07/05/2007
Two teens in serious condition after Beitar J'lem soccer melee
By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent
Two teens, aged 14 and 15, remained in serious condition with head and chest injuries Monday, after they were crushed under other fans as celebrations turned to chaos following a soccer match against Hapoel Petah Tikva at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem on Sunday.
The two were on respirators, as they are unable to breathe on their own, Army Radio reported.
Magen David Adom emergency services said on Sunday night that more than 40 Beitar Jerusalem fans suffered injuries, most of them minor, following an attempt to enter the field at the end of the game in celebration of the expected league championship.
Newly appointed Police Commissioner David Cohen has ordered an official inquiry regarding the police handling of the mayhem.
Police presence at the stadium was heavy, anticipating the possibility of fan violence. But police commanders had reduced the planned presence from more than 700 officers and security guards, to some 500.
Major General Ilan Franco, police chief of the Jerusalem District admitted after the game that the police had been surprised. "We did not prepare for the possibility that the fans would try to descend from the stands onto the field," he said.
"What happened should not have happened anyway. We deployed a large force and an outbreak toward the field should not have happened," he continued.
"We knew that this was not a championship game [a crowning match] but a regular league game, and it is unfortunate that the crowd acted contrary to all the scenarios we had prepared for. We will have to analyze this and reach conclusions," he added.
The incident occured at the end of the 2-0 Beitar victory in their home stadium over Hapoel Petah Tikva, which increased their lead at the top of the Premier League by eight points.
Immediately following the final whistle, and in spite of warnings to the fans not to try to push toward the field, thousands of Beitar fans did precisely that, moving toward the closed gates separating the stands from the playing field.
Beitar Jerusalem Chairman Eli Arazi said last night: "We agreed to meet and talk with the police, to analyze the events and to take action on the basis of this analysis."