Soccer Fans Can Attend Games, Even if Police Don't Like What They're Wearing
- ACRI
- Mar 24
- 2 min read
On December 17, 2025 ACRI submitted a petition to the Supreme Court on behalf of fans of the soccer team Hapoel Tel Aviv against the Police Commissioner. The petition demands that the police immediately stop enforcing an illegal policy to prevent fans from entering the soccer stadium because of their clothing or controversial political content.
The petition details a series of incidents that occurred in recent weeks in which police prevented Hapoel Tel Aviv fans from entering stadiums because they were wearing shirts with slogans against the police, against the Minister whose responsibilities include overseeing the police, and against the illegal Kahanist movement. The petition argues that the actions by the police infringe on freedom of expression and protest, and is against the law (Prohibition of Discrimination in Products, Services and Entry to Places of Entertainment and Public Places Law). Sports arenas, and especially soccer fields, are public places open to all, and those attending are permitted to wear any clothing that can be worn anywhere. Unless there is a clear and extreme case in which slogans or clothing constitute a criminal offense, such as incitement to racism, violence, or terror, the police are not permitted to violate the right to freedom of expression and prevent entry to a sporting event.
A hearing was held the day after we submitted the petition. The court issued a conditional order instructing the police to justify preventing fans from entering sporting events due to protest or critical content appearing on their clothing. The court also issued an interim order stipulating that pending another decision in regard to the petition, the police must allow fans to enter stadiums with protest shirts.
Following the petition, the police announced in March 2026 that they had changed their guidelines and would allow fans to enter stadiums wearing shirts with protest or critical content, including the shirt that was the focus of the petition.
HCJ 49334-12-25 Y.R. v. Police Commissioner
Attorneys: Nitsan Ilani, Oded Feller
The petition, December 17, 2025 (Heb)
The decision and conditional order, December 18, 2025 (Heb)
Response letter from the police, March 2026 (Heb)
For a full list of Hebrew legal correspondence and articles written about this case, see here.
The petition was written with the assistance of legal intern Yotam Rotfeld
