Maccabi Haifa's friendly with Lille stopped early after pro-Palestinian protesters storm the pitch and ATTACK the players
- Protestors reportedly of Turkish origin attacked Maccabi players
- Some Maccabi players fought back as did coach Aleksander Stanojevic
- Lille were winning 2-0 when pre-season game was stopped after 86 minutes
Maccabi Haifa's pre-season game against Lille in Austria was stopped when pro-Palestinian protesters stormed the pitch.
With Lille winning 2-0, supporters of reportedly Turkish origin entered the pitch and headed for the Maccabi players, including captain Yossi Benayoun, formerly of Chelsea, Liverpool and QPR.
One of the players is seen to trip a fan before punches were thrown. The Maccabi stars - some of whom retaliated - managed to leave the field unhurt.
VIDEO Scroll down to watch protestors storm the pitch and attack Maccabi players
Attack: Protestors storm the pitch and appear to attack the Maccabi Haifa players
Ugly scenes: Protestors attack the Maccabi Haifa players forcing the game to be called off early
Brawl: Protestors and Maccabi Haifa players clash after the game is stopped
Hitting back: Several Maccabi Haifa players were spotted fighting back after being attacked
Maccabi coach Aleksandar Stanojevic was said to have punched a protester.
The referee was forced to stop the game in the 86th minute before eventually bringing the game to an end early.
Banners calling for the liberation of Palestine were also displayed by certain sections of the crowd.
Israel is currently engaged in hostilities with Hamas, a militant group that runs the Gaza Strip.
Before the ugly scenes, Lille had been ahead thanks to goals from Ryan Mendes and Simon Kjaer.
Last month UEFA announced that Israeli clubs could not host European matches due to the 'unrest' in Israel.
Making their point: Supporters were seen with banners demanding the freedom of Palestine
Apprehended: A security guard manages to pull down one of the protestors
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