JERUSALEM, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- European Volleyball Challenge Cup runners-up Maccabi Tel Aviv withdrew from the competition due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli club said in a statement on Friday.
The Israeli league champions were supposed to face the Albanian champions SK Tirana in the qualification round in a home-and-away format. However, the security situation in Israel made it impossible to play in the country.
Therefore, the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) decided to hold only one match between the two teams at a neutral venue in the city of Strumica, North Macedonia on November 7.
Maccabi claimed, however, that it could not play in Strumica because there are no direct flights from Israel to this destination, and it is impossible to guarantee essential security arrangements.
In March, Maccabi made their first-ever appearance in the Challenge Cup final where they lost to Olympiacos Piraeus. ■
