MPs want answers to ‘exaggerated’ Vela-Maccabi IQ match.

MPs have called on police to provide a full report into the alleged exaggerated intelligence that led to the decision to ban Israeli fans from attending their club’s match against Aston Villa.

A report in The Sunday Times (ST) claimed that West Midlands Police (WMP) exaggerated the threat posed by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ahead of the match on 6 November, citing violence around a match in the Netherlands last year.

In response, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said that unless WMP had a good explanation, chief constable Craig Guildford should resign. Home Office Minister Sarah Jones said she had written to him asking for clarification.

WMP defended its assessment, saying its plan was “proportionate”.

An intelligence report cited by the force claimed that some Maccabi Tel Aviv fans are “skilled and highly organized fighters with a serious desire and will to fight with the police and opposition groups,” the ST report said on Sunday.

It also indicated that between 500 and 600 of them targeted Muslim communities in Amsterdam, and fans were thrown into the river, allegations that the newspaper said were denied by the Dutch police.

To raise an urgent question in the House of Commons, Conservative MP Nick Timothy demanded the publication of all intelligence material relating to the ban, and evidence considered by the Birmingham Safety Advisory Group (SAG).

The committee, which includes experts from the council and the police, was responsible for imposing restrictions on visiting fans for the match on 6 November.

Calling on the government to “hold West Midlands Police to account”, Philp added: “Maccabi fans were not skilled, organized fighters – it was just a fabrication.”

The minister told MPs she had written to WMP to “get to the bottom of” the allegations, and that the Home Office had asked His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Police, Fire and Rescue Services to conduct a wider investigation into how safety assessments were carried out.

It said the force was conducting a debrief of the events leading up to the match, and would publish “a timeline of events, decisions taken and rationale for recommendations made to SAG”.

In response to ST’s claims, a force spokesperson said: “West Midlands Police’s assessment was based primarily on information and intelligence and had public safety at its heart.

“We have assessed the match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam as having seen significant public disturbances.

“We met with the Dutch police on October 1, where information regarding the 2024 match was shared with us.”

The police concluded that a sub-section of Maccabi fans posed a “real threat to public safety”.

They concluded: “We are satisfied that the police strategy and operational plan were effective, proportionate and maintained the city’s reputation as a safe and welcoming place for all.”