Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv: The inside story of a night of toxicity, tension and protest
It was a European match night at Villa Park, one of England’s most venerable grounds, and yet football felt far from anyone’s minds.
A huge police presence enveloped the stadium ahead of the Europa League tie between Aston Villa of the Premier League and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, a game which had become a lightning rod for political protest.
West Midlands Police (WMP) — the force in charge of Birmingham, the UK’s second largest city, and surrounding areas of Wolverhampton and Coventry — was aware of how charged the match would be against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas conflict and the situation in Gaza.
On October 16, The Athletic revealed that WMP had requested that Maccabi not be allocated tickets for the fixture. The political fallout included condemnation from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who posted on X that it was “the wrong decision” and that the country “will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets”.
West Midlands police and crime commissioner Simon Foster called for “an immediate review”, but Maccabi ultimately said the club would not accept any tickets even if they were offered.
The build-up to Thursday’s game was dominated by the decision not to allow away fans, the expected protests, and the security arrangements. The Athletic was in Birmingham from the afternoon to late into the night to record how the events played out.
According to a 2021 census, around 30 per cent of Birmingham’s 1.1 million population is Muslim, and the city has seen frequent pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The visit of an Israeli team was regarded as a high-risk safety concern.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, WMP explained it had a “large policing operation” for the match, which would include more than 700 officers — consisting of WMP employees and colleagues from 25 other forces — plus police horses, a drone unit, the road policing unit, and protest liaison officers. Home supporters would also face multiple ticket checks.
Police gather outside Villa Park (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
WMP also confirmed it would be using “Section 60 powers” in a particular area of Birmingham, spanning Villa Park and the surrounding neighbourhoods. This would enable it to “stop and search people without the need to have reasonable grounds” and “safeguard the community from this dangerous behaviour”.
On Thursday morning, a school close to Villa Park confirmed it would close early as a precaution. The area around the stadium was highly policed: at 4pm, four hours before kick-off, 12 police vans rushed out of the city centre’s police station with sirens on, joining the dozens already parked up near the ground.
The Maccabi team had arrived at Villa Park at around 3pm, on security advice. It meant players and coaching staff had to spend three extra hours at the stadium compared to their opponents. As Maccabi coach Zarko Lazetic observed to reporters after the match, “It’s not normal… Sitting. Nothing (to do).”
The two closest train stations to Villa Park, Aston and Witton, roughly half a mile and a mile away respectively, had local transport rail officers stationed outside, with groups of police huddled together on every route to the stadium.
There was a heavy police presence on Trinity Road and Witton Lane — the two main roads outside the stadium — which were expected to hold both pro-Palestinian protesters (Trinity Road) and pro-Israeli groups (Witton Lane).
Along Trinity Road, pro-Palestinian messaging and anti-Israel sentiment were evident. Banners were tied around the trees in Aston Park, adjacent to the ground.
A poster near Villa Park (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)
The Birmingham Palestine coalition was due to begin its protest at 6pm, with people handing out placards marked with slogans such as ‘Stop Arming Israel’, ‘End Israeli occupation’, and ‘Stop starving Gaza’, as well as Palestinian flags.
Further down Trinity Road and adjacent to Villa Park, additional pro-Palestinian groups were gathering from around 4pm. This was the West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign, again accompanied by police vans in close proximity. There was a small gazebo, with pro-Palestinian shirts, flags, hats and bags available. The groups continued to assert that they were planning a peaceful protest.
The gate that is usually open for supporters to enter Villa Park around the Trinity Road stand was closed.
Down Witton Lane, vans and police officers lined up next to the Doug Ellis stand. With the road still open at 4.30pm, vans were able to drive up and down displaying electronic billboards urging the need to fight antisemitism. One showed a quote from Nelson Mandela — “Sport has the power to unite” — while the second read “Football unites, Hate divides”.
Towards the far end of the road, three London-based Maccabi supporters convened, holding the Israeli flag and having their photo taken.“Respect police, stewards. Avoid confrontation,” read one pro-Palestinian sign. Most protesters were hooded and waving Palestinian flags, with shouts of “FIFA, take a stand, Israeli football must be banned!”, a reference to the sport’s world governing body. Police were asking those who were wearing masks to remove them.
A billboard outside Villa Park (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
At 4.30pm, increased rows of police and stewards were blocking access to Villa Park. Once through the first security checks, comprising bag searches and ticket and accreditation inspections, there was a significant number of stewards controlling accessibility areas, far more than for usual matches.
Villa’s stewarding group has changed in recent years, with external, third-party agencies now accounting for a significant percentage of matchday staff. Regular club personnel numbers have reduced significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic, in line with a broader trend across football. The Athletic had previously revealed that club matchday stewards were given the option of not working the fixture. It was unclear how many, if any, took up this option.
To expand stewarding capacity on Thursday, Villa also leaned on external agencies, such as CrowdSafe UK, K2 and Showsec management.
Ten minutes before the pro-Palestinian protest was due to start, with roughly 250 people gathered, 10 police officers ushered away a woman who had walked past carrying an Israel flag.
Three Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters outside Villa Park (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, less than half a mile away, under Witton station bridge, another group — in the low tens — had gathered. They had been organised by UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson — real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — who had used his social media accounts to encourage his followers to “support Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park”. Robinson livestreamed his group’s protests on his X feed, although he was not seen around Villa Park, and it is unclear if he attended.
“We are here not to tolerate antisemitic hate and the Jews will be allowed to walk through here safely and enjoy football safely,” one woman, wearing a balaclava with a Union Jack Flag on it, said on the X livestream.
By 6pm, there was a discernible contrast in atmosphere on the different sides of the stadium, with the noisy pro-Palestinian protestors outside the Trinity Stand far louder than those elsewhere.
A pro-Palestinian protestor demonstrates outside Villa Park (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
A quarter of an hour later, Villa’s team coach arrived, having been escorted by the police from the team hotel. There remained a large policing operation around Witton station, close to the pro-Israeli groups. Some police were positioned in undercover cars on Manor Road, adjacent to the station.
Gradually, tensions began to heighten.
Shouts of “Free Palestine” were met with retorts of “F**k Palestine” on Trinity Road. Supporters who did not have to venture down that road and instead accessed the stadium through other entrances, such as the North Stand, described the process as “straightforward”.
Robinson’s livestream showed his group walking towards the stadium, along Witton Road and past the local matchday pub for Villa fans, the Witton Arms. They carried placards, including one saying “Keep antisemitism out of football”, and waved Union Jack and Israeli flags.
The bulk of Villa supporters arrived at the stadium half an hour before kick-off, with many heading towards Trinity Road, where the pro-Palestinian protest was taking place.
In an attempt to drown out the music and chanting from the pro-Palestinian group, some Villa fans sang songs in support of their team, including a rendition of “We’re the pride of Birmingham, we shall not be moved”.
Yet tensions continued to rise, coinciding with the arrival of the small rival protest group that had come from Witton Lane. They consisted of around 50 people and sang in support of Robinson and chanted anti-Islam slogans.
At 7.40pm, 20 minutes before kick-off, police mobilised to keep the sides apart, forming two rows. Objects appeared to be thrown from the pro-Palestinian group, which sparked further anger, but there were no direct clashes between the two groups.
Police and protestors outside the stadium (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Police moved Villa supporters down Trinity Road, angering those who wanted to get to the Holte End, the stadium’s largest stand, which connects to the Trinity Road Stand and Doug Ellis stand.
Police horses had to hold back a small group of pro-Palestinian supporters as they attempted to cross the road and edge closer to those who were taunting them.
By 7.45 pm, most supporters were inside Villa Park and tensions had eased.
On Thursday night, WMP said 11 men between the ages of 17 and 67 had been arrested; on Friday, the force said 10 arrests had been made.
“Five men remain in custody, including a man aged 21 accused trying to throw fireworks into the ground and two men aged 34 and 29 accused of racially aggravated public order after shouting abuse at pro-Israel demonstrators,” a statement read. “Two people were cautioned and two were released with no further action. A 21-year-old man was charged with failing to remove a face covering during a Section 60.”
The attendance of 29,429 was notably lower than Villa’s average this season of just over 41,000, and not just because the away section was empty. Many supporters had told The Athletic pre-match that they had decided not to attend due to the safety risk.
By the end of the game, the protests had almost all concluded, with only a small group of pro-Palestinian supporters left waving flags and chanting. But the police presence remained, with the Trinity Road gates locked, so supporters in that stand had to divert in the opposite direction, away from the pro-Palestinian group.
The match itself was in muted contrast to events outside the stadium and in the build-up, with Villa running out 2-0 winners.
Ultimately, however, this was not a night that will be remembered for football.
