Israeli president rushed off soccer pitch after crowd gets rowdy

[May 25, 2023]  JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli president Isaac Herzog was rushed out of a soccer stadium on Tuesday in the northern city of Haifa after jubilant fans rushed the pitch when the Beitar Jerusalem team won the State Cup.   

Israeli president Isaac Herzog was rushed out of a soccer stadium on Tuesday (May 23) in the northern city of Haifa after jubilant fans invaded the pitch when Beitar Jerusalem won the State Cup.

Footage from the event shows the president handing out medals to the winning players when rowdy fans rush the field and security personnel quickly surround Herzog and escort him off the pitch.

The president said in a statement that fans disrupted the final ceremony so the trophy could not be awarded to the winning team.

"It's a shame that fans committed to their team, full of pride, who waited 14 years to receive a trophy, did not get this very symbolic and important act," Herzog said.

(Reporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Conor Humphries)

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