Aston Villa warns fans of political messages in the Maccabi Tel Aviv match

West Midlands Police said on Thursday they had classified the match as “high risk” based on intelligence and previous incidents, including “violent clashes and hate crimes that occurred during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was one of many politicians to condemn the move and called for the ban to be scrapped.

However, the UK’s Football Policing Unit said it was “important that we respect and support the structures in place to make these decisions”, while the Taxi Network, which reports on discrimination at UEFA, told the Press Association it was “reluctant to question” the police’s risk assessment.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said on Monday that the ban was “wrong” and came “against a backdrop of rising anti-Semitism here and around the world”, adding that SAG would review the decision if West Midlands Police changed its risk assessment.

But a few hours later, Maccabi Tel Aviv said they would refuse to allocate any tickets, claiming that “a toxic atmosphere has been created which puts the safety of our fans wishing to attend in serious doubt.”

The club also insisted that the cancellation of Sunday’s Tel Aviv derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv, due to what police described as “public disorder and violent riots”, was not down to its fans.

“We have also worked tirelessly to eradicate racism within the most extreme elements of our fan base,” Maccabi Tel Aviv’s statement added.

He added: “Unfortunately, these issues are not limited to Israeli football, and are problems faced by the sport all over the world, including in the United Kingdom.”

“It is clear that various entrenched groups are seeking to discredit Maccabi Tel Aviv’s fan base… and are exploiting isolated events to achieve their own social and political goals.”

A British government spokesman said he was “deeply saddened”, adding that it was “completely unacceptable” that the match was being used “as a weapon to incite violence and fear by those who seek to divide us”.

Independent MP Ayub Khan, whose Birmingham constituency includes Perry Barr and is home to Villa Park, said Maccabi fans should be disqualified for hooliganism – adding on social media that Sir Keir Starmer owed an apology to West Midlands Police.

He added that by refusing tickets, the Israeli club “was more responsible than those who sought to confuse this matter.”