On Thursday, West Midlands Police said it had classified the fixture as “high risk” based on 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”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was one of many politicians who condemned the move, and called for the ban to be overturned.
However, the UK Football Policing Unit said it was “important that we respect and support the structures in place for making these decisions”, while the Fare Network, which reports on discrimination for Uefa, told the Press Association that it was “reluctant to question” the police risk assessment.
On Monday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the ban was “wrong” and had come “against the backdrop of rising antisemitism here and across the world”, adding that the SAG would review the decision if West Midlands Police changed its risk assessment.
But a few hours later Maccabi Tel Aviv said they would decline any ticket allocation, claiming “a toxic atmosphere has been created which makes the safety of our fans wishing to attend very much in doubt”.
The club also insisted that the abandonment of the Tel Aviv derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv on Sunday, over what the police called “public disorder and violent riots”, was not down to their supporters.
“We have also been working tirelessly to stamp out racism within the more extreme elements of our fanbase,” added a Maccabi Tel Aviv statement.
“Unfortunately, those issues are not restricted to Israeli football and are problems the sport has been grappling worldwide, including in the UK.
“It is clear, that various entrenched groups seek to malign the Maccabi Tel Aviv fanbase…and are exploiting isolated incidents for their own social and political ends.”
A UK government spokesperson said it was “deeply saddened”, adding it was “completely unacceptable” that the match has been “weaponised to stoke violence and fear by those who seek to divide us”.
Independent MP Ayoub Khan, whose Birmingham Perry Barr constituency is home to Villa Park, has said Maccabi fans should be excluded for hooliganism – adding on social media that Sir Keir Starmer owed an apology to West Midlands Police.
He added that by declining tickets, the Israeli club “have been more responsible than those that have sought to conflate this matter”.
