Aston Villa and police are accused of snubbing Jewish fans AGAIN after Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters were banned from Europa League clash

Aston Villa and West Midlands Police have been accused of excluding Jewish fans again in the wake of their ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash at Villa Park.

Identifying it as a ‘high-risk’ fixture, West Midlands Police advised Villa to stop supporters of the Israeli club from attending the game amid safety concerns, fearing away fans would be at risk of anti-Semitic attacks and the match would be rife with protests.

The move was met with huge international backlash from fans and members of the Jewish community, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer took to social media to label it ‘the wrong decision’.

An alternative suggestion made by The Board of Deputies of British Jews to allow some Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to attend has now been ignored by the club and authorities, according to The Times.

The representative body reportedly put forward a suggestion 10 days ago which would have allowed them to distribute 500 tickets in the away end to British Jewish football fans.

The Board of Deputies claims that Aston Villa failed to engage with the potential compromise and wasted the precious time it would have taken to put the suggestion in motion.

According to the newspaper, there were both conversations and written correspondence on the matter — and that West Midland Police were initially receptive to the idea.

As part of the proposal, it was reportedly suggested that buses could be used to transport Jewish supporters safely to and from Villa Park on the night.

Phil Rosenberg, the board’s president, said in a statement: ‘The ridiculous decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from watching their team play Aston Villa risks giving the impression that there are “no-go” zones in this country. 

‘We had sought to give Aston Villa and the West Midlands police the opportunity to disprove this harmful notion of “no-go” zones by exploring the possibility of them allocating the tickets to our community and showing this could happen safely. 

‘In the end, they have collectively fumbled the pass into their own net. While the police seemed to be willing to make this happen, Aston Villa ran down the clock, perhaps hoping this would go away.

‘The idea that Villa Park, Birmingham, the West Midlands, or any part of our country should be inhospitable to people because of their religion or nationality must be totally unacceptable, particularly following the Islamist terror attack on our community at Heaton Park just a few weeks ago.’

Daily Mail Sport has approached Aston Villa for comment. Sources close to the Premier League team told The Times that the issue had always been a matter for the police and the Safety Advisory Group, and that at no point has the club ever sought to exclude Jewish fans.

It also said there would be obvious security concerns associated with handing tickets to supporters with no previous booking history, via an independent group. 

Meanwhile, West Midlands Police told the newspaper it has nothing further to add to its previous statement on the initial decision.

A spokesperson said in a statement earlier this month: ‘West Midlands Police supports the decision to prohibit away supporters from attending.

‘This decision is based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA 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.

‘We remain steadfast in our support all affected communities, and reaffirm our zero-tolerance stance on hate crime in all its forms.’

Aston Villa released a statement in the aftermath of the backlash to confirm that any supporters displaying messages of a political nature will be ‘immediately ejected’ and issued with a stadium ban.

The statement read: ‘Only supporters with a booking history up to and including the 2024/25 season will be able to purchase a ticket. Supporters who do not have previous booking history with the club, or only have booking history from this season, will not be able to purchase tickets.

‘A reminder to all supporters of the club’s policy on reselling tickets. Anyone found to have re-sold their ticket will face strong sanctions including having their season ticket removed. The club has a robust, zero-tolerance approach to this matter.

‘As per UEFA guidance, the displaying of political symbols, messages or flags during the match is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate ejection and the issuing of a stadium ban.’

Daily Mail Sport reported last week that Tommy Robinson‘s decision to support banned Maccabi fans by wearing one of their shirts was the ‘final straw’ for the club amid the anti-Semitism row.

The Israeli team became fearful that even if police in Birmingham performed a U-turn and allowed away fans into Villa Park, Robinson’s supporters could emulate him and pose as Maccabi fans to stir up violence. This caused the club to decide not to sell any tickets to their fans for the Europa League game.

The far-right activist, who organised September’s Unite the Kingdom rally attended by thousands, joined the furore on social media the day after the decision was made, posting a photograph of himself wearing one of the club’s shirt and smiling. 

Robinson also wrote: ‘Who’s coming to support Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park on November 6th?’

A source told Jewish News: ‘The risk posed by anti-Israel protesters was substantial, but we thought we had a plan to prevent them from prevailing. But that changed with the intervention of Tommy Robinson.

‘There was now also danger that our supporters could be falsely associated with his far-right activities, in front of anti-Israel protestors already out to get them. 

‘With Robinson’s supporters potentially posing as Maccabi fans on the streets of Birmingham, we concluded that the risk had become unacceptable for innocent fans who just want to watch their team play.’