Major police operation ahead of Birmingham Maccabi-Villa match

A major police operation is under way as protests are expected ahead of the controversial Aston Villa match against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

More than 700 officers will be on the streets of Birmingham for the Uefa Europa League match, which kicks off at 20:00 GMT amid expected protests, alongside police horses, dogs, drones and roads units.

Officers were deployed to the city centre by 13:30, amid reports of some protesters arriving early.

Last month, the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the game was the focus of parliamentary-level debate and has led to MPs questioning West Midlands Police about the move.

Ahead of the game fan group, the Punjabi Villans, urged people to respect each other and for everyone to get home safely, posting on social media: “We’re in this together. Football unites us.”

Those living and working in the city near Villa Park football stadium have seen shops and schools close early.

Before the game, chief executive of Maccabi Tel Aviv said it was “incredibly sad” his side’s fans could not be there, adding: “Politics should never be drawn into football.”

The BBC has so far been told about two pro-Palestine protests taking place in Birmingham and a Maccabi Solidarity Rally, which has also been organised to coincide with the match.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Muslim Association of Britain, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Kashmir solidarity campaign and Palestinian Forum in Britain had called for the match to be cancelled and jointly organised one of the protests.