BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — British Prime Minister keir starmer has criticized Maccabi Tel Aviv’s decision to ban football fans from attending next month’s Europa League match at Aston Villa, citing safety concerns.
West Midlands Police have deemed the match at Villa Park on November 6 as high risk, citing violence and hate crimes that occurred during the match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax. in Amsterdam last season.
“This is the wrong decision.” starmer said Thursday. “We will not tolerate anti-Semitism on our streets. The role of the police is to ensure that all football fans can enjoy the match without fear of violence or intimidation.”
Villa earlier said in a statement that police had informed the club “of the security concerns outside the Stadium Bowl and that we have the capacity to deal with any possible protests that may occur that night”.
The Premier League club added: “The safety of supporters attending matches and the safety of local residents is paramount to all decisions.”
West Midlands Police said in a statement: “We have a track record of success in policing football matches and other high-risk public events.”
“This decision is based on current information and previous incidents involving violent clashes and hate crime crimes that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam,” a police statement said.
“We remain steadfast in our support of all affected communities and reaffirm our zero-tolerance stance against hate crimes in all their forms.”
The match at Villa Park will be Maccabi Tel Aviv’s first away match in the Europa League since pro-Palestinian protests erupted at the stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece. When the club played against PAOK September 24th.
Around 120 fans of the Israeli club traveled to Greece for the match and were detained by a police cordon before entering the venue.
Last season, Maccabi Tel Aviv fans clashed violently with city residents when the team traveled to Amsterdam for a Europa League match against Ajax.
European soccer organization UEFA is weigh votes The Israeli team was previously suspended from the tournament. it was overtaken this month by Ceasefire in Gaza.
The London-based Jewish Leadership Council called Thursday’s decision unfair.
In a statement, the group said: “It is wrong for West Midlands Police to ban away fans from a football match because they cannot guarantee their safety. Aston Villa should face the consequences of this decision and the match should be played behind closed doors.”
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