Aston Villa-Maccabi Tel Aviv protests live: Marches to be held after political fallout over Israeli club’s fans

European football’s governing body UEFA told Reuters local authorities were responsible for the decision on fan safety.

Some fans reacted negatively to the decision, stating that it would affect the atmosphere. Jonny Gould, former manager of the Aston Villa Supporters Trust, argued that he “did not want politics in the football business”.

While the decision has a more serious impact, according to Maccabi Tel Aviv president Jack Angelides, what it could do is set a precedent for how things will be handled going forward.

“Obviously we were met with some concerns about what this potentially indicated,” he told Radio 4. Today to show. “I think this is a hugely important moment because of what it means. I don’t use the term lightly, but people are asking: ‘What does anti-Semitism look like?’

“And it often occurs as part of a process—a process, in other words, small events that lead to more.”

It was widely reported that more than 700 police officers would be on duty in and around Villa Park Stadium on the evening of the match.

Horses, dogs, a drone unit and road police officers will be on hand and there will be a no-fly zone around the ground.

73.3 percent of the community in the Aston area is Muslim 2021 Census.

West Midlands Railway has confirmed that police presence will be increased between Aston and Witton railway stations.

It is reported that some schools in the region will start education early to avoid disruption.

West Midlands Police are carrying out a major operation in relation to tonight’s match; 700 police officers are being deployed, including a drone unit, police dogs and protest liaison officers.

As a result, Chief Supt Tom Joyce is warning the public about disruption to the roads.

He said: “People not attending the event should expect significant disruption to roads in the area in the evening and we would urge people to avoid the area as much as possible.

“We know there will be protests from different groups on that day and we have plans in place that balance the right to protest with our duty to protect all communities in Birmingham.

“We are experienced in policing high-profile football matches and demonstrations and have been working closely with different faith and local community groups for weeks to listen to their views and concerns.”

As the preparations for the match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Aston Villa begin tonight, most of the interest focuses on events off the field rather than the home match, and it is reported that thousands of tickets remain unsold.

A pro-Palestinian protest is expected to face a counter-protest outside Villa Park from 6pm this evening.

As a result, West Midlands Police said 700 officers were deployed to “keep the public safe and arrest anyone involved in crime or disorder”.

At noon today, police officers were given the authority to stop and search people without requiring any justification. They will remain in place until 03:00 on Friday.

Head of Department Tom Joyce said: “Our aim throughout the planning of this match is to ensure people enjoy their football fixture as we continue to keep everyone in Birmingham safe, facilitate peaceful protests and protect the peace of the King.”

Ever since Maccabi Tel Aviv was scheduled to face Aston Villa in the Europa League, there were questions about how the game should be controlled and whether it should be played at all.

As previously reported, the Birmingham Safety Advisory Group prevented Maccabi fans from attending the match after an assessment by West Midlands Police classified the match as high risk.

However, there were also calls for the match to be cancelled.

On Wednesday, campaign group Palestine Solidarity Campaign delivered a petition signed by 25,000 people to the FA, demanding the game be cancelled.

Members will also take part in a protest outside Villa Park at 6pm this evening. The action is expected to be met with a counter protest.

Last year, there were violent clashes and hate crime incidents in the Europa League match played between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam, which the Eredivisie team won 5-0.

Pro-Palestinian supporters and Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Israeli fans clashed in the Dutch capital. The Amsterdam police chief said that Maccabi fans attacked a taxi the day before the match, set the Palestinian flag on fire, and chanted anti-Palestinian slogans on the day of the match. While dozens of people were detained during the clashes, five people were imprisoned.

Immediately following the clashes between 6 and 7 November, there were accusations of antisemitic attacks. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema claimed that the events caused a “dark night and a dark day” for the city, claiming that anti-Semitic “criminals” attacked Jewish visitors and the city was “hit and run”.

The Local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) decided to ban around 1,000 Maccabi fans from attending the match, with the help of West Midlands Police’s assessment that the match was “high risk”.

Not only was the decision made in the context of the Israel-Gaza war, but police added that the move was also “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.”

There were strong calls to reverse the decision, which was seen as politically controversial, but Maccabi stated on 20 October that they would reject the ticket offer because “a toxic atmosphere has been created that puts the safety of our fans wishing to attend in great doubt”.

While the Premier League club shared the decision taken by Birmingham City’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which issues security certificates for matches at the Villa Park stadium, the Israeli club’s away fans were banned from attending.

The decision sparked outrage from Sir Keir Starmer and others; The prime minister stressed that police must “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”.

In recent months, discussions have arisen regarding the inclusion of Israeli teams in international competitions as a result of the Israel-Gaza war. Football matches will continue after a ceasefire agreement was reached last month.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of events in Birmingham today, with protests expected ahead of Aston Villa’s Europa League match against Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park.

Campaign group Palestine Solidarity Campaign is organizing a demonstration to protest the Israeli side’s continued participation in international football, while counter-protests are also planned for the evening against the club’s fans being unable to attend the match for security reasons.