BODØ, NORWAY — Bodø, a usually quiet and charming city in Northern Norway, is home to the local football team Bodø Glimt, who have recently made some great football memories.
On matchday 7 of the Europa League, they faced a different kind of opponent: Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Maccabi Tel Aviv was not so different from other teams visiting Norway this season. As a football club, they have their own goals and targets. In strictly football terms, the Israeli reigning champions needed to win at Aspmyra Stadium to keep their European campaign alive—but that didn’t happen.
Though discussions for an upcoming ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war were underway, Israeli teams continue to draw attention from protesters. This is especially clear in Norway, where the local government declared its recognition of the State of Palestine in May 2024.
When Maccabi Tel Aviv arrived in Bodø, protesters immediately became part of the scene. They staged a small demonstration outside the airport, and on matchday, they organized a march from the city hall to the stadium. Calls to boycott the match and Israel were loud and clear.
Football relations between Israel and Norway have been strained over the past year. In 2024, the U-21 Israel national team played in Norway behind closed doors, and there have been calls to boycott scheduled World Cup qualifiers against Israel. Meanwhile, the Norwegian FA joined calls for FIFA to investigate alleged illegitimate actions.
Bodø Glimt’s fans were divided on how to handle the situation. Some, particularly the ultras, called for a match boycott, while others wanted to keep politics out of football. To avoid clashes, the club published a Q&A on their website, urging fans to avoid displaying the Palestinian flag during the match, though they did allow the “Palestinian scarf” as a non-political symbol. The club itself refrained from taking a stance but made a subtle protest by changing the pre-match playlist, which included John Lennon’s “Imagine,” a song about peace. Glimt’s ultras also unfurled a banner reading, “Imagine all the people living life in peace.”
The match itself couldn’t escape the political tension. In the 12th minute, Maccabi Tel Aviv took the lead with a goal from Dor Peretz, who made a hand gesture in tribute to Emiliy Damari, the team’s fan recently freed after 471 days in Hamas captivity.
Protesters in the stands continued to call for a boycott and a free Palestine, but Bodø Glimt’s fans pushed back by singing their team’s songs whenever the protest became too loud. The home crowd’s energy may have helped, as Kasper Høgh scored the equalizer shortly after.
The second half exposed the gap between the two teams. Bodø Glimt scored two goals in five minutes—one from Håkon Evjen and another from Høgh—to seal a 3-1 victory. Maccabi Tel Aviv, former Conference League quarter-finalists, were unable to keep up, leaving them with little hope of finishing in the top 8 of the Europa League.
Maccabi Tel Aviv must now focus on their upcoming league matches against Maccabi Haifa and Beitar Jerusalem, before playing their final Europa League game against FC Porto.
