Police logs show threats to Maccabi players as force pushed ‘peaceful’ narrative | UK | News
Police are accused of minimizing threats made to Maccabi Tel Aviv players ahead of their Europa League match against Aston Villa in November, according to leaked internal command records. Heavily edited Silver Command documents record many events surrounding the match day.
At 6am, four men were seen standing opposite the team’s hotel, filming and photographing the van. Later reports suggested that the hotel’s location may have been shared on TikTok. The Maccabi delegation left the hotel at 3pm, five hours before kick-off, and were accommodated on mattresses in Villa Park to reduce the risk of their convoy being interfered with due to protest.
Internal records describe “groups of Asian youths looking to fight” to whom West Midlands Police resources were deployed in response.
Additional sightings included 50–60 young people moving towards Aston Park, 15–20 “masked” people moving towards the stadium, and a gathering of over 100 men; This led to Section 14 public order powers being given the power to disperse crowds.
As reported by TelegramDespite these real-time observations, senior officials directed social media messages at 7.14pm to describe the day as “largely peaceful” with few arrests.
The stated aim was to “reduce online sentiment and prevent overdramatization of it”. In the force’s post-match public statement the next day, they thanked local communities and stated that the operation had gone “without any major incidents, no serious disturbances and no disruption to the game”.
This public position contrasts with earlier evidence presented to the Home Office Select Committee, in which police admitted to withholding “high confidence intelligence” about local elements planning to “take up arms” against Maccabi supporters.
The initial decision to ban Maccabi fans from attending the match was justified solely on the basis of alleged hooliganism by the Israeli club’s fans; This claim was later refuted by information from the Dutch police, which stated that the Israeli fans were victims of targeted ambushes in Amsterdam.
Many politicians criticized the handling of the incident. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick suggested the approach reflected law enforcement pandering to Islamists and lying to maintain the appearance of authority.
Conservative MP Nick Timothy said police provided intelligence to support a predetermined ban and then misrepresented the facts.
Former government adviser on political violence Lord Walney described it as a systematic cover-up and called for Chief Constable Craig Guildford to resign.
Former West Midlands MP Lord Austin described the revelations as shocking and accused police of misleading the public and Parliament by giving in to racist threats of violence.
West Midlands Police declined to comment on the contents of the file. The matter remains the subject of investigation, including reviews by the Police and Crime Commissioner and assessments by the Independent Police Conduct Office. Express.co.uk has contacted the force for a right of reply.
The case has reignited debate in Birmingham about the importance of transparency in public safety decisions and the policing of football matches involving international and social sensitivities.
