Significant hooliganism leads to Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban at Aston Villa match
Police informed Sky News that the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the Aston Villa game was driven by significant levels of hooliganism within their supporter base, which posed safety risks around the event, rather than threats specifically aimed at the visiting Israeli fans.
This explanation marks the first public disclosure of the intelligence behind the ban by a West Midlands Police chief amid strong opposition from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Background to the ban decision
The ban followed a recommendation from West Midlands Police and was endorsed by the local Safety Advisory Group, led by Birmingham City Council. Earlier in the week, the Home Affairs Committee requested police to justify their decision.
Government and police perspectives
"We are simply trying to make decisions based on community safety, driven by the intelligence that was available to us and our assessment of the risk that was coming from admitting travelling fans," said Chief Superintendent Tom Joyce.
"I'm aware there's a lot of commentary around the threat to the [Maccabi] fans being the reason for the decision. To be clear, that was not the primary driver."
The government characterized the exclusion of Israeli fans as antisemitic, suggesting it effectively turned parts of Birmingham into a no-go zone for Thursday night's Europa League fixture.
Summary
The fan ban was primarily based on risks posed by hooliganism in the visiting supporters' fan base, prioritizing public safety over concerns about threats against those fans.
Author's note: The ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was imposed due to serious hooliganism concerns, highlighting how safety risks outweighed other factors in this tense sporting context.