Starmer condemns ‘wrong decision’ to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from Aston Villa game | Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will not be allowed to attend the Europa League match at Aston Villa on November 6 due to security concerns.
West Midlands police said it had classified the fixture as “high risk” based on “available intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offenses during a 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam”.
Police said it believed the measure would “help reduce risks to public safety” and that it “remains steadfast in our support to all affected communities and reaffirms our zero-tolerance stance on all forms of hate crime.”
The move was condemned by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said: “This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets. The role of the police is to ensure that all football fans can enjoy the game without fear of violence or intimidation.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the decision as a “national disgrace” and called on Starmer to reverse it.
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villa said The local security advisory group had instructed the club that “no away fans will be allowed”.
“The club is in constant dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and local authorities throughout this ongoing process, where the safety of fans attending the match and the safety of the local community will be prioritized,” Villa said.
There was serious unrest when Maccabi played Ajax on November 7. A two-day Dutch police report into the unrest revealed that Maccabi fans ripped and burned a Palestinian flag on the façade of a local building and shouted “Fuck you Palestine”. and damaged a taxiAmong a series of events that took place before the match. What the mayor of Amsterdam described after the match as a series of “hit-and-run” attacks on Maccabi fans led to five people being hospitalized and 20 to 30 others suffering minor injuries. Sixty-two people were arrested, mostly for public order offences.
The Jewish Leadership Council criticized the decision not to allow Maccabi fans to attend the Villa match, stating in
The group said: “Aston Villa must face the consequences of this decision and the match must be played behind closed doors.”
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign stated that the match should be cancelled, writing to X: “Israeli football teams should not play in international tournaments while practicing genocide and apartheid.”
Independent Member of Parliament Birmingham Perry BarrAyoub Khan said: “I welcome the decision of the Security Advisory Group. With so much hostility and uncertainty in the match, it was right to take drastic measures.”
Ajax were prevented from admitting fans to their Champions League match in Marseille last month after the French interior ministry banned “anyone claiming to be an Ajax Amsterdam fan” from traveling between the French border and the southern city. Ajax said they were informed that the decision was taken “for reasons of public safety and security”. That same week, the province of Naples blocked the sale of tickets to Eintracht Frankfurt fans hoping to attend their Champions League match against Napoli.
