Beitar Jerusalem, the defending champion of the Israeli Premier League, was penalized a point and ordered to play a home match in an empty stadium after fans shouted anti-Arab slogans at a game against Maccabi Petah Tikva in April. Earlier this season, the league deducted two points from Beitar for fan violence. These penalties have hurt the team's chances of winning a third straight title, as Beitar is now seven points behind league leaders Maccabi Haifa with five games left.