Police ordered to review decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from Aston Villa game – The New York Times

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Police officers at Villa Park in April Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images
The police and crime commissioner (PCC) for the West Midlands has called for “an immediate review” of the decision not to allow supporters of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv to attend November’s Europa League fixture against Aston Villa in Birmingham.
On Friday morning, Simon Foster said he had ordered a special meeting of the city’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) and West Midlands Police (WMP) to determine if the decision “is appropriate, necessary, justified, reasonable and a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim” and to consider potential alternatives.
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As on Friday afternoon, Foster revealed he was still waiting for a reply from the SAG and WMP, but said he was aware that “consideration is actively being given” to his request. Foster added that he has written to the UK Prime Minister, Sir Kir Starmer, to invite him to work with the SAG, WMP and himself “to resolve the matter”.
The Athletic broke the news on Thursday that WMP had advised Birmingham’s SAG against approving an away allocation for Maccabi Tel Aviv fans at Villa Park, with Villa later confirming that the decision was due to “a number of physical and safety factors”.
WMP said the move was based on “current intelligence and previous incidents”, citing violent clashes and hate crime offences around Maccabi Tel Aviv’s game against Ajax in Amsterdam last November, which came amid heightened tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.
The decision was criticised by the UK’s major political parties on Thursday, with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer calling it “the wrong decision”. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and her Liberal Democrats counterpart Ed Davey echoed his sentiment.
“I have today (Friday) requested, Birmingham City Council Safety Advisory Group (‘SAG’) and West Midlands Police (‘WMP’), convene a Special SAG, at the earliest possible opportunity and conduct an immediate review of the decision, to prohibit the attendance of away fans at the football match, between Aston Villa FC v Maccabi Tel Aviv FC, on Thursday 6 November,” Foster, the PCC for the West Midlands, wrote in a statement.
“The purpose of my request for a review is to enable the SAG and WMP to determine whether or not this decision and recommendation is appropriate, necessary, justified, reasonable and a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. That must include consideration, of all and any suitable, alternative options.”
Behind the scenes, work is ongoing in the UK government to enable the decision to be reversed.
Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, is meeting officials from the Home Office – the UK’s interior ministry which is responsible for policing and public safety, among other things – for talks on Friday.
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The Home Office is also urgently looking at ways to ensure WMP have the necessary help to enable Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to attend the game safely, while Steve Reed, the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, has spoken to the city council in Birmingham to map out the concerns expressed by Starmer and his cabinet.
Birmingham City Council said in a statement on Friday that SAG would review its own decision if the risk assessment by the WMP changes.
The PCC is elected by the public every four years and tasked with ensuring the force is “run efficiently and effectively”, according to the WMP website, including the power to hold the force’s chief constable to account. Every police force area in England and Wales is represented by a PCC, except London, South Yorkshire and Manchester, where the responsibilities rest with the Mayor.
Foster also requested sight of all written documentation around the decision, but insisted that any final call rests with the SAG and WMP.
The UK Football Policing Unit — the team of police officers and staff dedicated to supporting forces and agencies with regards to “football-related anti-social behaviour, violence and disorder involving UK supporters” — said on Friday: “This process was supported (by) the Sports Ground Safety Authority. It is important that we respect and support the structures in place for making these decisions. If there are any adverse incidents, then they are the ones that will be held responsible.
The UKFPU, in the wake of the Casey Review following the serious disorder at Wembley in 2021, has suggested that if the government want a role in regulating football events that could be termed ‘events of national significance’, then they need to bring forward legislation to formalise this to ensure accountability sits with decision-makers.”
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The National Police Chiefs’ Council also issued a statement “(restating) our commitment to combat antisemitism and to bring to justice those who commit crime fuelled by that hostility”.
Foster’s intervention comes amid intense political pressure since Villa’s announcement on Thursday.
“We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets,” Starmer wrote in a post on X. “The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”
Before Starmer’s comments, Badenoch wrote on X: “This is a national disgrace. How have things come to this? 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.”
However, Ayoub Khan, the independent member of parliament for a district of Birmingham, Perry Barr, called for the original decision to stand and said it was “disgraceful” that “political pressure” was being applied to local authorities.
“I sincerely hope that West Midlands Police stick to their original decision,” Khan told The Athletic on Friday. “They’ve made it based undoubtedly on sound intelligence and assessment. To reverse that decision would undermine West Midlands Police, would undermine the Safety Advisory Group.”
Khan had previously signed a petition calling for the game to be cancelled, relocated to a neutral third country or held behind closed doors without spectators.
Before the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last week, there had been calls to ban Israel from international competition due to the actions of its military in Gaza, in which the United Nations’ commission of inquiry concluded that Israeli authorities and security forces had “genocidal intent”. The United States State Department said in September it would work to prevent Israel from being banned from global soccer.
When Maccabi Tel Aviv faced Ajax in the Europa League last year, the travelling fans of the Israeli team were subject to “outbursts of violence” after the game, according to Dutch police, who said it arrested 62 people following the clashes with five hospitalised. Police confirmed that Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters attacked a taxi and set a Palestinian flag on fire the day before the match, which had an additional presence of 800 officers placed on duty by city officials due to safety concerns.
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Around 30 per cent of the population of Birmingham is Muslim, according to a 2021 census, and the city has seen frequent pro-Palestinian demonstrations since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.
When asked for comment on Thursday, UEFA said: “UEFA wants fans to be able to travel and support their team in a safe, secure and welcoming environment, and encourages both teams and the competent authorities to agree on the implementation of appropriate measures necessary to allow this to happen.
“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.”
When contacted by The Athletic, WMP declined to comment on Foster’s statement.
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Jacob is a football reporter covering Aston Villa for The Athletic. Previously, he followed Southampton FC for The Athletic after spending three years writing about south coast football, working as a sports journalist for Reach PLC. In 2021, he was awarded the Football Writers’ Association Student Football Writer of the Year. Follow Jacob on Twitter @J_Tanswell

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