The government has expressed deep regret over Maccabi Tel Aviv’s decision to refuse an away assignment for the Europa League match against Aston Villa. The local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) last week banned fans from attending the game against Villa on November 6 following a risk assessment by West Midlands Police, a decision that was swiftly criticized by politicians including Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy earlier Monday criticized the decision to bar supporters, saying it was “choosing to exclude” Jews. Despite trying to take measures, Israeli teams are still choosing not to send fans to games. A government spokesperson said: “The government is working around the clock to uphold the fundamental principle that football fans should be able to enjoy matches without fear of intimidation or violence.”
“While we deeply regret that Maccabi Tel Aviv have refused to allocate away fans, we respect their right to do so. It is completely unacceptable that this match has been weaponized to incite violence and fear by those who seek to divide us. We will never tolerate anti-Semitism and extremism on our streets.”
This follows Maccabi’s statement on Monday night, in which they said they had “learned a hard lesson” and expressed a desire to play in Birmingham “in the near future”.
“The health and safety of our fans is our top priority and, given the hard lessons we have learned, we have taken the decision to refuse the allocation offered on behalf of our away fans and our decision should be understood in that context,” the statement read.
“I am hopeful that the situation will change and I am looking forward to playing in a sporting environment in Birmingham in the near future.”
West Midlands Police last week labeled the match as “high risk”. They justified their decision by saying it was “based on current information and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime crimes that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.”
Ayub Khan, an independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, claimed there had been a “deliberate and dishonest move by a number of people to make this an issue of banning Jews and to conflate a police issue with a religious issue”.
