The Israel Soccer League resumed play this week, compelling players to perform for empty stands under restrictions imposed by the Home Front Command amid the ongoing war with Iran. This state-mandated return to play occurred even as one match in Netanya was temporarily halted by incoming missile fire, forcing players into shelters before resuming their labor on the pitch. The atmosphere, described as eerie, evoked the empty-stadium days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, marking its sixth anniversary, but carried a heavier emotional weight due to the current conflict. This continuation of professional sports, stripped of its communal aspect, highlights the state's efforts to project normalcy while the populace endures the material realities of war.
The State's Imposition
The Home Front Command's restrictions directly dictated the absence of fans from stadiums across the country. This measure, implemented amid the ongoing war, demonstrates the state's power to control public gatherings and reshape social life in service of its military objectives. While the league pushes toward its final matchday and into the championship playoffs, the collective experience of sport is suppressed, replaced by a controlled environment where only approximately 150 people are permitted in venues in Jerusalem, Netanya, Beersheba, and Nazareth.
The state's apparatus, through its Home Front Command, prioritizes the continuation of the league's schedule, likely to maintain contractual obligations and broadcast revenues, over the free assembly of the working class. The report noted that players lined up for "Hatikva" in near silence, a stark contrast to the usual communal expression, further emphasizing the state's imposition on public life and collective sentiment during wartime.
Labor Under Duress
Players, as laborers within the sports industry, are compelled to perform under these extraordinary conditions. Head coach Barak Itzhaki spoke of the uncertainty of returning to play after a 40-day wartime break, reflecting the precariousness of their work environment. The incident in Netanya, where players were rushed off the pitch into a shelter as explosions were heard overhead, then returned to the field to resume play after the all-clear, underscores the direct risks faced by these workers. Their labor continues despite the immediate threat of missile fire, revealing the demands placed upon them by the system.
Even in moments of success, the collective joy is diminished. After Beitar Jerusalem secured a 3-2 victory over Ironi Tiberias with a late long-range strike, players and staff celebrated on the sidelines. However, there were no supporters to embrace or stands to salute. The absence of the 30,000 supporters who would normally fill Teddy Stadium for a Beitar Jerusalem match highlights the isolation of the players' labor from the community it is meant to serve.
The Spectacle of Capital
The continuation of the Israel Soccer League, despite the exclusion of fans, reveals a prioritization of the spectacle for broadcast. Artificial crowd noise was piped into broadcasts, creating an illusion of normalcy for distant viewers. This mechanism ensures that the product—the televised match—can still be delivered, preserving revenue streams for the league and its owners, even as the authentic, communal aspect of live sport is dismantled. The true fans, the working class who define the sport, were instead at home, on couches or in shelters, celebrating together as sirens and interceptions filled the sky above, experiencing the game through a mediated, state-sanctioned lens. The league's drive to complete its season and championship playoffs, despite the ongoing war and its human cost, demonstrates the relentless imperative of capital to maintain its operations.