Aston Villa-Maccabi ban latest: Government exploring ‘additional resources’ needed to allow Israeli fans at game – UK Times

A government spokesperson said it is exploring additional resources and support so all fans can attend the Aston Villa match next month.

“No one should be stopped from watching a football game simply because of who they are,” it said in a statement.

“The Government is working with policing and other partners to do everything in our power to ensure this game can safely go ahead, with all fans present.”

It said it expected West Midlands Police to come forward with an idea as to what additional resources could allow all fans to attend.

Former Labour and now Independent MP Zarah Sultana has backed the bar on Israeli football fans attending the Aston Villa match and called for UEFA to “ban all Israeli teams”.

“Next UEFA must ban all Israeli teams. We cannot have normalisation with genocide and apartheid,” she wrote on X.

She said: “Apartheid South Africa was banned from the Olympics for 32 years.

“The same people who called Nelson Mandela a “terrorist” now say we can’t boycott apartheid Israel.

“They were on the wrong side of history then — and they’re on the wrong side of history now. You don’t have “normal relations” with genocide and apartheid.

“Boycott, divestment and sanctions until Palestine is free.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism has said it will seek a judicial review against the decision to ban fans of Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending their team’s match against Aston Villa next month.

A spokesperson for the group said: “We are today notifying Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police of our intention to bring a judicial review of the decision to ban away fans from attending the match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

“Our lawyers are writing to the council and police in accordance with the pre-action protocol for judicial review.

“Police forces and local councils must do whatever it takes to ensure that Britain is safe for everyone. The decision has rightly been condemned by the government and opposition parties. We understand that the decision was not made by Aston Villa.

“We will do whatever it takes to overturn this pernicious ban which has humiliated and angered the whole country.

“Britain is increasingly waking up to the extremism in our midst but now we must all fight the instinctive appeasement within the authorities and our law enforcement.”

MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee have demanded an explanation from West Midlands Police of its decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending next month’s match against Aston Villa.

In a letter to Chief Constable Craig Guildford, committee chairwoman Dame Caroline Dinenage said the decision “undermines the principle that football, our national game, is for everyone”.

She said: “We are deeply concerned that your force does not believe it is capable of keeping football fans safe were away fans, including those who live in the UK, to be allowed to attend the match.”

The committee asked the chief constable for the reasons the force did not believe it could police the match if away fans attended, what would change that belief, what alternatives were considered and whether the force was confident Tel Aviv’s players and staff would be safe.

In a separate statement, Dame Caroline said: “The police need to be open about how and why they reached the decision that a ban was the only way of guaranteeing public safety, and whether there is a route to reversing what is a deeply regrettable situation.”

Birmingham City Council said the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending a Europa League match at Aston Villa in November would not be reviewed unless there was a change in the risk assessment provided by West Midlands Police.

A council spokesperson said: “The Safety Advisory Group has made a decision based on a risk assessment provided by West Midlands Police.

“If there is a change in the assessment of risk in the forthcoming match between Aston Villa Football Club and Maccabi Tel Aviv, then the Safety Advisory Group will commit to review its decision as appropriate.”

Kemi Badenoch said the home secretary had “serious questions to answer” after it emerged her department was briefed Maccabi Tel Aviv fans might be banned from attending a match against Aston Villa.

The Conservative leader said: “This is a weak government that fails to act when required.

“Now we learn the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, knew Jewish football fans were being banned from a UK stadium, and did nothing.

“Just like Starmer did nothing when he found out the China spy case was collapsing.

“The home secretary has serious questions to answer.

“Only the Conservatives have the backbone to stand up for the safety of Jews and defend our national security.”

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) has said it supports the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending a Europa League match at Aston Villa next month and criticised the Prime Minister for opposing the action.

Ben Jamal, director of the PSC, said: “(Sir Keir) Starmer’s willingness to conflate opposition to Israel’s crimes with antisemitism has now taken him to a place where he defends, supposedly in the name of anti-racism, the rights of avowedly anti-Palestinian, Islamophobic, violent thugs to demonstrate their hate in a British city and at a football match.

“The Maccabi fan base has an egregious track record of racist violence that led them to being banned from the city of Amsterdam. Starmer wants Birmingham to host people who chant for Palestinians to be raped and their villages burned.

“The fixture should not be going ahead. Israel and all Israeli clubs should be removed from international competitions.”