Police chiefs told ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans at Aston Villa match was wrong

Supporters of the Israeli team were instructed not to attend the Europa League fixture at Villa Park on November 6 by West Midlands Police, a decision critics alleged was antisemitic.

The local “safety advisory group” - which included police, local politicians and council officials - announced the ban three weeks before the game, citing a "high risk" of unrest similar to that seen in previous Maccabi matches.

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However, a report into this decision, published 16 days before the match, concluded that a limited number of Israeli fans should be allowed to attend.

It also found that senior officers made the call after receiving intelligence that locals were hostile to the Maccabi fans because of their nationality and that some wanted to “arm” themselves if away supporters were allowed.

Craig Guildford, chief constable for West Midlands, told a Commons home affairs select committee on Tuesday that he had asked for a review of the decision following a a major political and public outcry.

This review, overseen by chief constable for Cheshire and head of the UK football policing unit Mark Roberts, stated: "In essence there is no preferable option, but the least worst would be away fans with a reduced allocation, or subject to ongoing discussions with government to retain the ban on away fans."

It also revealed that concerns abut fan safety were not prompted by the behaviour of Maccabi fans, but by “high confidence intelligence” received on September 5 regarding potential "non-football issues between away fans and the local community".

Maccabi had already said many of its supporters would not attend because they were concerned for their safety in Birmingham.

At a police planning meeting on September 22, held on the assumption that away supporters would attend, officers were told: "It is clear that there is a growing suggestion of local hostility towards the visitors based on their nationality.”

Disorder before and after Maccabi's match against Ajax in November 2024 was seen as the "tipping point" in the West Midlands Police's approach.

Police reported that 500 "hardcore Maccabi supporters" who were "very well organised, un-cooperative and militaristic" carried out "indiscriminate attacks on Muslim taxi drivers, flag burning, marches and Islamophobic chanting such as ‘Why are there no schools in Gaza, because all the children are dead’".

The expert review commented: "Awareness of their actions in Amsterdam was growing and fuelling anti-Israeli and Jewish sentiment. It must also be noted that Maccabi fans were targeted in Amsterdam, but it is difficult to definitely establish who did what first."

The safety advisory group concluded on October 7 "that the safest option was to have no away supporters attend".

This was also the police "preference" and no further options were explored.

This decision would "increase the risk and scale of opposing protest groups", the expert review concluded.

It continued: "The issue of policing protest and community tension becomes the focus in the absence of rival football supporter behaviours. The narrative will not remove the over-arching risk entirely regardless of which option is implemented.

"In essence there is no preferable option, but the least worst would be away fans with a reduced allocation, or subject to ongoing discussions with government to retain the ban on away fans."

Sarah Jones, the policing minister, told MPs on Monday: "The prime minister, the home secretary, and the whole government has been very clear that we believe that the wrong decision was made."

Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, has asked Sir Andy Cooke, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, to carry out an urgent review of the ban.