Maccabi Tel Aviv: Why have Israeli club's fans been banned from Aston Villa Europa League game? Key questions answered

What's happened?

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans have been banned from attending the Europa League game against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Thursday November 6 due to safety concerns.

The decision is based on concerns from West Midlands Police about its ability to deal with potential protests relating the war between Israel and Gaza.

West Midland Police said the game has been classified as "high risk" having carried out what they describe as a "thorough" assessment.

A statement said: "This decision is based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.

"Based on our professional judgement, we believe this measure will help mitigate risks to public safety."

Who made the decision?

Aston Villa's statement says the decision "follows an instruction" from Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG), based on the advice of West Midlands Police.

Safety Advisory Groups are responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches.

However, according to the Health and Safety Executive government website, Safety Advisory Groups are "non-statutory bodies and so do no have legal powers or responsibilities, and are not empowered to approve or prohibit events from taking place".

The website adds: "Event organisers and others involved in the running of an event retain the principal legal duties for ensuring public safety".

Who are the Safety Advisory Group?

Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG) is chaired by Birmingham City Council's head of resilience and made up of representatives of the local authority, emergency services and event organisers.

The Health and Safety Executive government website says purpose of an SAG is to "provide a forum for discussing and advising on public safety at an event".

It adds: "The SAG should advise the event organiser about public safety matters that they think need further consideration, explaining their reasons. It is the event organiser's responsibility to take any appropriate action."

Safety Advisory Groups are held for events presenting a "significant public safety risk, in terms of the numbers and profile of people attending, or the nature of the event activity and/or the challenge of the environment".

What happened at the game between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv?

The Europa League game between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv cited by the West Midlands Police took place on November 7, 2024.

Violent clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans erupted before the game which led to more than 60 arrests, four men being handed short prison sentences and another given a community service order.

Five people were taken to hospital as riots broke out in several areas of the Dutch capital.

Amsterdam police and prosecutors said "antisemitic" rioters "actively sought out" Israeli supporters to attack and assault them. Footage emerged online which showed fans pulling down a Palestinian flag in central Amsterdam and anti-Arab chants could be heard.

A report from the Amsterdam mayor's office said the violence stemmed from a "toxic combination of antisemitism, hooliganism and anger" about the war between Israel and Gaza and other conflicts in the Middle East.

Maccabi Tel Aviv's next European 'away' game, against Besiktas on November 28, was moved to Debrecen in Hungary by UEFA after Turkish authorities decided not to stage it in Turkey. Hungarian authorities decided to play the game behind closed doors.

What has been the key reaction to the decision?

West Midlands Police said it "supports the decision to prohibit away supporters from attending" in a statement on Thursday evening.

West Midlands' police and crime commissioner Simon Foster on Friday morning subsequently called for Birmingham City Council Safety Advisory Group and West Midlands Police to immediately review the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the match.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised the decision and said "the role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation".

Leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch described the decision as a "national disgrace".

Aston Villa say they are "in continuous dialogue" with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local authorities.

The Jewish Leadership Council, which works to protect British Jews, says it is "perverse that away fans should be banned from a football match because West Midlands Police can't guarantee their safety".

Ayoub Khan, the independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, welcomed the news that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will not be permitted to attend the game.

Could the decision be overturned?

Downing Street has confirmed discussions are happening "at pace, across Government" to resolve the ban, with senior members of the government having met to discuss the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv's fans.

Ian Murray, the science and technology minister, called the decision "completely and utterly unacceptable".

Speaking to Sky News he said that Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, is meeting Home Office officials today to "see if there's a way through".

But he added that the decision is an "operational issue for the police".

Murray said: "Government doesn't get involved in operational issues for the police.

"We can't allow this to happen. We can't allow a country to become a place where we're excluding people from public events."

Is there any precedent for the ban?

The decision to ban away fans from attending a UEFA game based on safety concerns is a rarity, but it has happened before.

Last season, French authorities ordered PSV Eindhoven not to take supporters to their Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain.

PSV said there was a "total travel ban" for their supporters "to and within Paris" and added that the decision "came totally unexpected".

French police had cited past disturbances with supporters, including an incident against RC Lens in 2023, according to PSV's statement.

Last season, Legia Warsaw fans were denied entry to Villa Park for their UEFA Conference League fixture after four police were injured during clashes with the Polish club's fans.

The match was delayed and Villa said the decision to stop the Legia fans from entering the ground was made due to safety concerns.

Could Israeli clubs be banned from European competition?

UEFA and FIFA have faced calls to suspend Israel's national teams and club sides from international competitions before this week's ban due to the conflict in Gaza.

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez is among those to have called for Israel's teams to be banned. A group of United Nations advisory experts also said sporting sanctions are needed after a UN commission of inquiry said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

According to Sky News, discussions have taken place at high levels in European football but no decision has been taken.

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