Aston Villa reportedly told stewards they could miss Maccabi Tel Aviv match | Aston Villa
Aston Villa have reportedly told matchday referees that they will not have to work for the club’s Europa League clash against Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv, citing possible “concerns” about safety.
West Midlands police have decided to ban Maccabi fans from the upcoming match after saying the team could not safely police the fixture due to “violent clashes and hate crime attacks” in the previous game in Amsterdam in 2024.
The Home Office has offered extra support to West Midlands police in a bid to reverse the ban. A meeting with Birmingham’s safety advisory group (SAG) has been arranged for next week.
BBC reported He said Villa informed referees they had permission to skip their duties on Thursday, November 6, before the decision to ban fans was made by police.
“Regarding the upcoming match against Maccabi Tel Aviv…we appreciate that some of you may have concerns about going to work,” referees were told in an email apparently sent on Oct. 3, the broadcaster reported.
Those due to work that day were told they could “request a one-off absence”, which would “allow you to record your absence for this particular fixture”.
Aston Villa also made it clear that “such absence will not affect the contractual minimum attendance rate of 80%”.
This email was reportedly sent following claims that some referees had raised concerns about security on the day, and it was unclear how many referees would not be working on the match day. The no-work request will need to be submitted four days before the scheduled date of the game.
West Midlands police said on Thursday they had classified Villa’s home game against Maccabi as “high risk” based on intelligence. The police force also highlighted the violence that took place during a UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi in Amsterdam in 2024, where more than 60 people were arrested for violence that authorities called “a toxic combination of anti-Semitism, hooliganism and anger”.
Four local men were given short prison sentences for violence against Maccabi fans. In the report prepared by the Dutch police regarding the chaos during the 2024 Amsterdam match, it was revealed that Maccabi fans tore and burned the Palestinian flag from a local building and shouted “Fuck Palestine”. damaged the taxi. Maccabi fans were also recorded chanting “Olé, olé. Let the IDF win, fuck the Arabs”.
The ban, imposed by West Midlands police, came after pressure from local independent MP Ayoub Khan. Khan told BBC Two’s Newsnight on Thursday: [this issue with] “When we look at what some of these fans are doing in Amsterdam in 2024, it is antisemitism… We are talking about violent fans and I think the prime minister should stay out of operational matters.”
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said on Friday it had notified Birmingham city council and West Midlands police of its intention to hold a judicial review because it said banning Maccabi fans was “harmful” and “outraged the whole country”.
Keir Starmer described the police force’s decision as “wrong” and said “we will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets”. European football’s governing body UEFA has called on local authorities in Birmingham to allow Maccabi fans to travel to the match.
In the statement made on Aston Villa’s website: in question: “The club is in constant dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and local authorities throughout this ongoing process, and the safety of fans attending the match and the safety of the local community is at the forefront of any decision.”
Aston Villa have been approached for comment.
