Red Devils play Nations League match against Israel in Debrecen in Hungary
The match will be played behind closed doors
As no local authority in Belgium considers it possible to host the Red Devils' home match against Israel on Friday 6 September, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) has had to seek a solution abroad. In consultation with UEFA, it was decided to play the match at the Nagyerdei stadium in Debrecen, behind closed doors.
After the city of Brussels indicated that the home match against Israel would not take place at the King Baudouin Stadium, the RBFA wrote to several cities with a UEFA-compliant stadium. After extensive consultation, the mayors of these cities - for security reasons - did not give their approval to host the match in their cities.
With UEFA's help, a solution abroad was sought, and found. The match will be played on Friday 6 September at 8.45pm at the Nagyerdei stadium in Debrecen, Hungary. The RBFA thanks the city, the club and UEFA for their availability and willingness. All necessary measures to organise the match in a safe and serene manner will be taken.
The match will take place behind closed doors, so no tickets will be sold. However, tickets are still available for the home matches against France on Monday 14 October and Italy on Thursday 14 November.
“A home match should be played at home, in our own country. We are therefore disappointed that no city can host the Red Devils. We start the Nations League on a sad note, but we want to be at our best right away on a sporting level. And for the games against France and Italy, we are counting on our legion of supporters in the King Baudouin Stadium.”
– Piet Vandendriessche, CEO RBFA