Sir Keir Starmer leads outrage after Maccabi Tel Aviv fans banned from Aston Villa match
The Prime Minister has joined a ferocious backlash against the police-led shut out of Israeli fans from Aston Villa’s Europa League fixture against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
After officer warnings of unrest in Birmingham, an effective ban on Maccabi fans entering Villa Park caused immediate political fury on Thursday. “This is the wrong decision,” said Sir Keir Starmer as he joined Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, and Jewish leaders in attacking city authorities.
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Badenoch had called the decision a “national disgrace”, suggesting it made a mockery of Starmer’s pledge that Jewish people are welcome in Britain. Lord Austin, the Government’s trade envoy to Israel, told Telegraph Sport he was “appalled” that officers “capitulated” to troublemakers. West Midlands Police urged Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) against approving the away allocation on Nov 6 amid serious concerns over threats on the game.
Ayoub Khan, the local independent MP, had backed the decision amid tensions in the city, despite the recent ceasefire in Gaza.
But Starmer, a keen football fan, joined a growing chorus of politicians and Jewish leaders in condemning it. He posted on X: “We will not tolerate anti-Semitism on our streets. The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”
Officers had earlier declared the fixture “high risk” and said their warning was informed by violence last November, when the Israeli club travelled to Ajax. A total of 62 people were arrested in Amsterdam, with five admitted to hospital after an “outburst of violence toward Israeli supporters”.
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Dick Schoof, the Dutch prime minister, had called the violence in Amsterdam last November “anti-Semitic”.
Fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv stage a demonstration in Amsterdam before their match with Ajax last November, when there were ‘outbursts of violence towards Israeli supporters’ – Anadolu via Getty Images/Mouneb Taim
Villa confirmed in a statement that the club “has been informed that no away fans may attend [the fixture] following an instruction from the Safety Advisory Group”.
Sources underlined clubs were not involved in the decision, which was based entirely on police intelligence that clashes were likely. The police-led decision to stop Maccabi fans attending comes amid lingering tensions over the Gaza ceasefire and the Manchester synagogue attack.
As events moved quickly on Thursday, Uefa and Villa’s focus was on making sure the game still goes ahead. The allocation that was due to be filled by away fans will now be empty, rather than opened up for home fans.
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Concerns had already been raised in Israeli media over potential hostilities for fans travelling to a city which has one of the UK’s largest proportions of Muslim citizens – around 30 per cent.
There had also been dismay over a video from Asrar Rashid, the Birmingham-based cleric. “We will not show mercy to Maccabi Tel Aviv fans travelling to Birmingham for the Aston Villa FC match,” he said in a video shared on X.
The council’s SAG made the ultimate decision to shut out the visiting club’s fans, but it would be unprecedented for it to fail to follow advice from police.
Badenoch: A horrendous and shameful message
The opposition leader, as well as prominent Jewish figures in the UK and Israel, expressed outrage at the decision.
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“This is a national disgrace. How have things come to this?” Badenoch posted on X. “Starmer pledged that Jews are welcome and safe in Britain. That he stands shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish community and will use the full force of his Government to prove it.
“Will he back those words with action and guarantee that Jewish fans can walk into any football stadium in this country? If not, it sends a horrendous and shameful message: there are parts of Britain where Jews simply cannot go.”
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, challenged Sir Keir Starmer to ‘back words with action’ after he said Jews were safe and welcome in Britain – Shutterstock/Adam Vaughan
Lord Austin said in a statement shared with Telegraph Sport that the force’s chief constable should launch a review and he would be taking his concerns to the Home Secretary.
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“I am appalled that West Midlands Police said that no away fans should be allowed to come to the match,” the Villa supporter said. “It looks like they have capitulated to a campaign by troublemakers and abdicated their responsibility to ensure people can go about their lawful business safely.
“Birmingham is a great international city. It welcomes visitors from all over the world and they must be able to come in safely.
“International sport is one of our most important exports and this has major implications for fixtures in the future. Birmingham is one of the venues for the European Championship in 2028, but the police’s decision must surely put that at risk if they are saying they can’t guarantee public safety.
“The chief constable must review this immediately and I will be asking the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to ask him to do so.”
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Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “The decision to ban Macca Tel Aviv [sic] fans is sickening and wrong. Giving in to anti-Semitism is weak and immoral.
“The police should make our streets safe for everyone – not capitulate to mob threats and punish the victims. This is a day of shame for both the West Midlands and its police force.”
Reform UK MP Danny Kruger called the police’s decision “reprehensible”.
Posting on X, he said: “The call for Israeli fans to be banned from attending a football match at Villa Park is outrageous, and the decision of West Midlands Police to effectively agree to a ban is totally reprehensible.
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“If the police could not guarantee the safety of Jewish visitors because of antisemitism among the local Muslim population they should have banned the game itself – not yielded to the mob. There must be immediate action to right this wrong.”
‘An extremely sad state of affairs for Britain’
The Jewish Leadership Council said: “It is perverse that away fans should be banned from a football match because West Midlands Police can’t guarantee their safety. Aston Villa should face the consequences of this decision and the match should be played behind closed doors.”
David Mencer, the Israeli government spokesperson, who was being interviewed on LBC radio as the ban was confirmed, said it was “an extremely sad state of affairs for Britain … that Jews and Israelis would feel in some way unsafe or unable to go to a football match… on the streets of the UK. This is a problem that Britain must face up to.”
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West Midlands Police said in a statement they have a “strong track record of successfully policing football matches and other high-risk public events”.
“We are committed to delivering fair and impartial policing, while balancing the public’s right to protest with our duty to ensure public safety,” the statement added. “Following a thorough assessment, we have classified the upcoming Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv fixture as high risk.
“We have actively engaged with a wide range of local partners and community representatives in preparation for this fixture, and continue to participate in the Safety Advisory Group. While the safety certificate is issued by Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Police supports the decision to prohibit away supporters from attending.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will not be able to be at Villa Park for the Europa League match – AP /Giannis Papanikos
Meanwhile, Aston Villa said: “Following a meeting this afternoon, the SAG have formally written to the club and Uefa to advise no away fans will be permitted to attend Villa Park for this fixture.
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“West Midlands Police have advised the SAG that they have public safety concerns outside the stadium bowl and the ability to deal with any potential protests on the night.
“The club are in continuous dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local authorities throughout this ongoing process, with the safety of supporters attending the match and the safety of local residents at the forefront of any decision.”
Telegraph Sport understands Palestine protest groups had made attempts to apply pressure on police in recent weeks. On Oct 6, campaigners from Game Over Israel – backed by the likes of “death to the IDF” Glastonbury singer Bobby Vylan – say they sent a report critical of Israel from the Hind Rajab Foundation to West Midlands Police.
Khan, whose Birmingham constituency includes Villa Park, said he welcomed the decision because “from the moment that the match was announced, it was clear that there were latent safety risks that even our capable security and police authorities would not be able to fully manage”.
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“With so much hostility and uncertainty around the match, it was only right to take drastic measures,” he said.
Ayoub Khan MP insisted it was ‘only right to take drastic measures’ – Getty Images/Mark Kerrison
Shadow sports minister Louie French, however, said the decision was “a sad reflection of the anti-Semitism and sectarian hatred that the UK Government has spectacularly failed to get a grip on”.
“The Government must urgently seek to overturn this decision, sending a clear message that the UK remains open and safe for international sports fans,” he added.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is yet another alarming sign of how British authorities are failing to ensure that Jews can participate safely and equally in public life.”
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Birmingham City Council said: “Following a thorough review, concerns were raised regarding public safety if away fans attend the match, by the Police. As a result, a collective decision was made to restrict away fan attendance.”
Police added that the decision was “based on current intelligence and previous incidents”, including violent clashes and hate-crime offences during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Amsterdam.
“Based on our professional judgment, we believe this measure will help mitigate risks to public safety,” police said.
About 120 travelling fans attended Maccabi’s Europa League match against the Greek side PAOK on September 24, and had heavy police protection. Pro-Palestine protests took place outside and inside the ground in Thessaloniki.
PAOK supporters made their feelings clear when Maccabi Tel Aviv, and about 120 of their fans, travelled to Thessaloniki in September – Anadolu via Getty Images/Konstantinos Tsakalidis
Maccabi are the only Israeli side in European club competition this season. Uefa had toyed with a vote on banning Israeli clubs from competition before the ceasefire being agreed. Eric Cantona was one of a number of prominent names who joined calls for Israel to be thrown out of world football after a United Nations panel concluded it had committed genocide.
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Uefa had no direct response to the Villa shut out, but said its general position is that it “wants fans to be able to travel and support their team in a safe, secure and welcoming environment”.
“In all cases, the competent local authorities remain responsible for decisions related to the safety and security of matches taking place on their territory, such decisions being determined on the basis of thorough risk assessments, which vary from match to match and take into consideration previous circumstances,” a spokesman added.
