New decision on Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban as police branded 'ridiculous'

West Midlands Police and Birmingham's safety advisory group have re-examined their decision to prohibit Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending their match against Aston Villa, amid substantial political backlash.

Despite the controversy, they insist that barring Maccabi supporters from the November 6th Europa League game is a necessary safety precaution. The Villa Safety Advisory Group, supervised by Birmingham City Council, convened a private meeting amid allegations that the initial ban was steeped in 'antisemitism'.

High-profile figures including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and leaders of the Jewish community have all condemned the decision and demanded a review. Former West Midlands police chief Mat Shaer, renowned for his local campaigns against hate crime, branded the decision 'embarrassing', while the Campaign Against Antisemitism threatened legal proceedings if the ban persisted.

Conversely, the UK Policing Unit backed the police and the safety advisory group, suggesting that if the government wanted to interfere in football policing decisions, it should amend the law. Following top-level discussions between the police and local and national political and community leaders, the Home Office has committed to providing 'any resources needed' to West Midlands Police to ensure Israeli fans can attend safely.

Despite considering all 'relevant' factors, the Safety Advisory Group has maintained its initial decision and reiterated its guidance to Villa. A council spokesperson confirmed today: "A multi-agency Safety Advisory Group (SAG) has met to consider any public safety impacts relating to the Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv football match."

"Partners concurred with the Police assessment that the match was high risk. To support public safety and reduce risk to the lowest possible level, the SAG advised on options that would minimise significant public safety impacts, including no away fans attending. This advice has been communicated to Aston Villa FC by the SAG. Birmingham is a diverse city and we welcome people from all backgrounds and religions and we take seriously our responsibilities to keep the city and people safe at all times."

However, The Board of Deputies of British Jews disagrees with the decision. In a statement, Phil Rosenberg, the board's president, said: "The ridiculous decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from watching their team play Aston Villa risks giving the impression that there are 'no-go' zones in this country.

"We had sought to give Aston Villa and the West Midlands police the opportunity to disprove this harmful notion of 'no-go' zones by exploring the possibility of them allocating the tickets to our community and showing this could happen safely. In the end, they have collectively fumbled the pass into their own net. While the police seemed to be willing to make this happen, Aston Villa ran down the clock, perhaps hoping this would go away."

Rosenberg continued: "The idea that Villa Park, Birmingham, the West Midlands, or any part of our country should be inhospitable to people because of their religion or nationality must be totally unacceptable, particularly following the Islamist terror attack on our community at Heaton Park just a few weeks ago."

The Prime Minister had described the decision to bar supporters from attending as "wrong", declaring "we will 'not tolerate antisemitism on our streets." West Midlands Chief Constable Craig Guildford, when asked about the controversy surrounding the prohibition, responded: "I've read some of the intelligence that's been received and the assessment that's been made. It's based on professional judgement."

Reports that influenced the decision have not yet been made public, but it's understood that police intelligence determined the greatest risk of violence stemmed from extremist fans of the Israeli club. Based primarily on information from European police forces, West Midlands officers advised the safety advisory group that banning away fans was the appropriate course of action.

This advice was based on several factors including:

• A large number of extreme Maccabi fans with a history of violence and racist chants were expected to attend the Birmingham match, even without tickets.
• Dutch police informed their British colleagues that Maccabi fans had caused trouble in Amsterdam during a match last year by making racist and provocative chants and randomly attacking Muslims. This led to retaliatory violence where some Dutch Jews were attacked, sparking what was later described as a 'mini pogrom'.
• A massive effort by Dutch police, involving 5,000 officers over three days, was required to suppress the unrest.
• A community impact assessment by West Midlands Police reportedly noted that some Jewish individuals wanted Maccabi fans banned due to potential disturbances and the reputational damage they could cause.
• Maccabi fans attending the Birmingham match could provoke retaliation from local residents and further disorder.

The Safety Advisory Group did not consider whether the ban on Maccabi fans could be viewed as antisemitic, according to BirminghamLive. However, they report that the potential for additional protests at and around the ground was also taken into account.

Intelligence reports indicate a high likelihood of pro-Palestine protests, an anti-hate, pro-Israel demonstration, an anti-racism gathering, and the possible presence of Tommy Robinson and his supporters. Despite the ban on away fans, these protests may still proceed.

Earlier this month, the Tel Aviv derby between Maccabi and Hapoel in the Israeli Premier League was abandoned before kick-off following violent clashes between the two clubs' fans and police.