UK Government respond as Maccabi Tel Aviv act on Aston Villa ticket ban | Football | Sport

The Government has expressed its deep regret over Maccabi Tel Aviv’s decision to reject their away allocation for their Europa League match against Aston Villa. The local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) last week prohibited visiting fans from attending the tie against Villa on November 6 following a risk assessment by West Midlands Police, a decision that was immediately criticised by politicians, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy earlier on Monday criticised the decision to bar supporters as one that “chooses exclusion” of Jewish people. Despite attempts to implement measures, the Israeli team have still chosen not to send fans to the game. A Government spokesperson stated: “The Government has been working around the clock to defend a basic principle, that football fans should be able to enjoy a game without fear of intimidation or violence.

“We are deeply saddened Maccabi Tel Aviv have turned down their away fan allocation but we respect their right to do so. It is completely unacceptable that this game has been weaponised to stoke violence and fear by those who seek to divide us. We will never tolerate antisemitism or extremism on our streets.”

This follows Maccabi’s statement on Monday night, in which they said they had “learned hard lessons” and expressed hope to play in Birmingham in the “near future”.

The statement read: “The wellbeing and safety of our fans is paramount and, from hard lessons learned, we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans, and our decision should be understood in that context.

“We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.”

West Midlands Police labelled the fixture as “high risk” last week. They justified their decision by stating it was “based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam”.

Ayoub Khan, the independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, alleged that there had been “a deliberate, disingenuous move by many to make this a matter of banning Jews, to conflate matters of policing with those of religion”.