Valletta — Maccabi Haifa's Champions League qualifying match against Hamrun Spartans of Malta had to be halted for 30 minutes on Tuesday because of clashes between fans after Maltese supporters chanted "Palestine, Palestine".
Tensions rose as Maccabi supporters launched flares onto the pitch in the Centenary Stadium in Ta' Qali in Malta in response to the Maltese supporters' chants.
Five Israeli supporters were arrested, according to The Times of Israel, with Malta Today reporting that two were to be formally charged on Wednesday.
Some fans searched by police on entry to the stadium were found to be smuggling flares in their underwear, Maltese police said in a statement.
Despite the searches, others managed to get the flares past the police.
UEFA said it was "still gathering the official reports from this match".
Maccabi won the match 4-0. The second leg is scheduled for July 18 in Israel.
Israeli forces this month launched the biggest raid in the West Bank for years. Twelve Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed in the two-day military operation.
AFP