Across from the main stand at the deserted AEK Arena, the sight of 1,400 blue and white balloons swaying in the evening breeze stood as a reminder of Israel’s pain. Here in Larnaca, Maccabi Haifa were playing for more than three points in their Europa League group. That they almost got them on a night laced with emotion, pushing Villarreal to the limit before the Spanish team fought back from a goal down to win 2-1, mattered less than remembering the 1,400 innocent people murdered by Hamas on 7 October.
Haifa, Israel’s most diverse club, could not forget. While the memory of the…
