Villarreal Players Skip Minute of Silence for Israeli Victims in Europa League Match

This tribute, proposed by Maccabi Haifa, was exclusively dedicated to Israeli victims, a decision that the Villarreal players chose not to support, highlighting the lack of tribute to Palestinian victims.

For its part, Villarreal had previously informed the Israeli club, UEFA and its team that its intention was to honor all innocent victims of the conflict, without distinction. However, at the time of the tribute, Aïssa Mandi, of Algerian origin, and Ilias Akhomach, a Spaniard of Moroccan origin, waited until the end of the minute of silence to enter the field.