The chief constable of West Midlands Police (WMP) has defended the force’s decision to prevent Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending November’s Europa League fixture against Aston Villa.
The Athletic revealed on Thursday that WMP had requested supporters of the Israeli football club be prevented from buying tickets to the game at Villa Park. Villa later confirmed this was due to “a number of physical and safety factors”.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was one of a number figures from across British politics to criticise the decision, and the police and crime commissioner (PCC) for the West Midlands, Simon Foster, ordered an “immediate review”.
Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: “Birmingham hasn’t failed anybody and neither has West Midlands Police.”
WMP had advised Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) against approving an away allocation at Villa Park. WMP said it based its initial decision “on current intelligence and previous incidents”, citing the “violent clashes and hate crime offences” that took place before and after the Europa League tie between Ajax and Maccabi in Amsterdam in November 2024.
Dutch police made more than 60 arrests after Maccabi supporters were attacked following the game. The evening before the match, police said Maccabi supporters attacked a taxi and set a Palestinian flag on fire.
“Decisions have to be respected if they are made,” Guildford added. “They are made with good, grounded understanding of the threat and what the risk is. Our job as the police is to try and keep everyone safe.”
Maccabi commented on the matter for the first time on Monday and said the club would decline any ticket allocation for the tie. They said the “toxic atmosphere” created had put the safety of those wishing to attend the fixture “very much in doubt”. The UK government said it was “deeply saddened” by Maccabi’s decision.
The Home Office was looking at ways to ensure WMP had the necessary help to enable Maccabi fans to attend the game safely. Steve Reed, the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, spoke to the city council in Birmingham to map out the concerns expressed by Starmer. On Friday, the UK’s The Culture, Media and Sport Committee released a statement asking WMP to explain why it did not believe it could safely police the match without a ban on Maccabi fans.
The UK Football Policing Unit asked for the decision-making process to be “respected” and said it had told the government the previous week about possible restrictions on visiting supporters.
On Sunday, the derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was called off ahead of kick-off by Israeli police, who cited “public disorder and violent riots” and said three officers were injured in the clashes.
