The Cypriot government has reportedly rejected an Israeli request for Israeli EuroLeague basketball team Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv to play its home games on the island.

According to Israeli sports news website One.co.il, the Cypriot government informed Israeli ambassador Oren Anolik that it will not allow Israeli sports teams to host games on the island, citing security fears.

Meanwhile, other reports stated that the Cypriot police had said they “could not guarantee the safety of the events” and were “unwilling to undertake the operational demands of hosting high-risk sporting fixtures” due to the volatility of the situation.

The club had reportedly suggested that fans be flown to and from the island on the same day as the matches, with “enhanced safety measures” to be implemented, but the Cypriot government was not convinced.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv had been one of five Israeli basketball teams to play home games in Cyprus in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 which led to a two years long Israeli offensive in Gaza, with Hapoel Holon, Hapoel Galil Elion, Bnei Herzliya, and Ness Ziona also playing behind closed doors on the island.

However, given that the Cypriot government’s position has now changed on the matter, they will now be forced to look elsewhere.

The Greek island of Rhodes is said to be a potential option for Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, though questions regarding the feasibility of the island’s infrastructure and the local authorities’ capacity for crowd control, as well as political sensitivity, have been raised.

Failing that, they may return to Serbia’s capital Belgrade, where they played their home games last season.

Meanwhile, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, who play in Europe’s second tier competition, the EuroCup, are also without a home ground, having also harboured hopes of being able to play in Cyprus.

Last season, they and fellow EuroCup side Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem played their home games in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.

Maccabi Tel Aviv finished 14th out of 16 teams in last season’s EuroLeague and failed to qualify for the playoffs. The competition was won by Turkish side Fenerbahce Beko, who beat Monaco 81-70 in the championship game.

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, meanwhile, won the EuroCup, beating Spanish outfit Dreamland Gran Canaria 74-65 and 103-94 in the competition’s two-legged final. Dreamland Gran Canaria had knocked Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem out at the quarter final stage.