When Drammen Handball Club drew Holon Yuvalim in the second round of the European Cup, it was in a way a dream draw. It is a team DHK must beat. For one of Norway’s best teams to beat an Israeli team. But there was the warning: They are from Israel. As a result, fierce meetings between the DHK management and the police began, with a view to possible demonstrations and security. The hall was decided to be closed. For empty stands, DHK was still the best on Saturday. They got off to a good start, but the Israelis brought them in, and it was therefore 17-18 at the break. Towards the end of the second half, the blue shirts pulled away a bit, and won 35-29. The return match in the e-cup is already tomorrow, also in Drammenshallen. With empty stands. There were no spectators in the hall when Drammen played the European Cup against Israeli opposition. Photo: ROY MARTIN JOHNSEN / DHK – Only imaginations set limits PST has raised the threat level in Norway to the second highest, and it is attacks against Israeli or Jewish targets that are the reason for this. DHK has had several meetings with PST and the police in recent weeks, where they have discussed the threat level and security. There were no protesters who showed up on Saturday, but the police will maintain the same security also on Sunday, when the teams meet again. Photo: Stian Haraldsen / news – We have given the police a number of modes of what a threat practitioner can do. Only the imagination sets limits, says unit manager Arnfinn Ellefsen in PST. – We have to think about all scenarios. From terror to a demonstration. We have recorded and have plans to be able to deal with what will happen, says chief of Drammen police station, Øyvind Aas. – How will the security be around the Israeli team? – We must ensure that nothing wrong happens to them. It is a contingency that we want to have 24/7. While they are here and playing matches, we must handle it in a good and safe way here in the city, says Aas. The great contrast In the spring of 1996, DHK Drammenshallen was filled to the brim, when they played the European Cup. It ended with the boys writing Norwegian sports history, as the first Norwegian team to win an international tournament. Frode Scheie lifted the trophy and the Drammen audience lifted the roof, when DHK won the European Cup in 1996. Photo: Cornelius Poppe / NTB The contrast to the weekend’s matches could not have been greater. The hall is the same, and much looks the same, but no one gets to see what is happening. When the U19 national football team met Israel in Skien in March, there was a commotion outside the stadium. Police had to use tear gas to keep protesters away from the gates. It is now just over a year since the war in the Middle East started, after Hamas carried out a terrorist attack against Israel. Israeli authorities have since responded with major attacks, which have cost many Palestinian lives. Recently, the war has gained a larger scope, and now also involves Lebanon and Iran. In addition to empty stands, the match will not be televised. The club has not marketed the matches either. – We have not done any promotion of the match. So here it is a low profile in relation to these matches, says chairman Ragnhild Larsen-Nyhus Haaning. Published 26.10.2024, at 15.20 Updated 26.10.2024, at 15.32
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Empty hall when Drammen met an Israeli team in the European handball cup – news Buskerud – Local news, TV and radio
