Watchdog to criticise West Midlands police over Maccabi Tel Aviv ban | Police
West Midlands police will be criticized in a report over how they handled intelligence used to justify banning Israeli fans from a football match in Birmingham, the Guardian understands.
The investigation was ordered by Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood and was carried out by the police inspectorate, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.
This will increase pressure on the force and further weaken the position of chief constable Craig Guildford, who last week insisted to MPs that his force was acting correctly.
The force made a number of errors in the way it collected and processed intelligence, according to the findings of the chief inspector of police, Sir Andy Cooke.
West Midlands police’s case was that they wanted Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to attend the match against Aston Villa at Villa Park in November 2025 until they spoke to Dutch police about their experiences of the Israeli side playing in Amsterdam in November 2024.
The Birmingham-based force said it was told by Dutch police that Maccabi fans were the perpetrators of the violence, not the victims. This is fiercely disputed by the Dutch police and other groups.
WMP’s conclusions were contained in a report the force submitted to a local safety advisory group before the game in Birmingham, which ultimately decided on the ban.
It is claimed that the police report gives the impression that the behavior and criminality of the Maccabi fans was worse than the evidence detailed by the Dutch police.
HMIC spoke to Dutch police as part of its investigation and said some of the key allegations WMP relied on clashed with its experience of policing Maccabi fans during the match in Amsterdam in November 2024, which was marred by violence.
Dutch police have disputed claims that Maccabi fans threw people into a river at one point. In fact, it was only a single Maccabi fan who fell into the water.
Mahmood will present critical findings from HMIC to MPs in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
He is deciding whether to say he trusts the West Midlands chief constable but has no formal power to sack him or demand his resignation.
The only people who can bring him down are the police and West Midlands crime commissioner Simon Foster. He has previously praised Guildford, who has been chief constable since 2022, for improving the force’s performance and service to the public.
A Home Office spokesman said: “The Home Secretary this morning received the inspector general’s findings into West Midlands Police’s recommendation that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans be banned from attending a match against Aston Villa.
“He will consider the letter carefully and will make a statement in the House of Commons in response later today.”
A spokesperson for Amsterdam police told the Guardian: “Amsterdam police met with HMIC last month. We believe the information shared about the results will lead to the final report.”
