West Midlands Police chief defends Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban

The West Midlands Police chief said the force “did not let anyone down” as he defended the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from next month’s match with Aston Villa.

An announcement by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) to ban traveling fans from attending the Europa League match on 6 November on safety grounds was met with widespread condemnation by politicians including the Prime Minister.

The government said it would fund any policing necessary to allow Maccabi fans to attend, before the Israeli club said it would refuse to allocate tickets anyway due to the “toxic atmosphere”.

But Chief Constable Craig Guildford said on Wednesday that he respected the decision, which was based on intelligence, and said: “Birmingham has not let anyone down and neither have West Midlands Police.”

Birmingham SAG, the body responsible for issuing safety certifications for matches and made up of the police, Birmingham City Council, fire and ambulance services, informed Villa last week that traveling fans would not be allowed to attend the match.

Guildford said that despite “good support” from the government, officers had professionally considered the risks and provided advice.

“I have read some of the intelligence I received and the assessment that was made,” he added. “It relies on professional judgment.”

The risk assessments that led to the ban have not been made public, but the Guardian claimed that police concluded that the greatest risk of violence came from extremist fans of the Israeli club.

Mr Guildford added that his force would “continue” to advise the Strategic Advisory Group and respect the decisions made by the group.

“Decisions must be respected if they are made,” he said.

“They’re prepared with a good, solid understanding of the threat and what the risks are. Our job as police is to try to keep everyone safe.”

Mr Guildford rejected suggestions that community confidence in the force had been affected by the decision to ban fans.

“We do our best, from me all the way through the organization, to make sure we give the community trust,” he said.

“We get a lot of comments about how reassuring our approach is in certain communities. We will never please everyone.”

On Sunday, an Israeli Premier League derby match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was canceled before kick-off on Sunday, after what police described as “general disturbance and violent rioting.”

Villa have now announced their ticket policy for the match, insisting that only fans with a purchase history prior to this season will be able to obtain tickets.

The Israeli Embassy in the UK said it was “deeply concerned by the hostilities and incitement” that led to Maccabi withdrawing its allocation for overseas tickets.

“The Safety Advisory Group has advised Aston Villa Football Club based on a risk assessment provided by West Midlands Police,” Birmingham City Council said in a statement on Wednesday.

He added: “If there is a change in the risk assessment for the next match, the Safety Advisory Group will commit to reviewing its decision as appropriate.”

Reform lawmaker Danny Kruger said on Monday that the government should overturn the ban using powers set out in the Police Act, rather than asking local authorities “politely whether they will change their decision.”

Culture Minister Lisa Nandy said there was a long-standing principle that the police were independent in their work.

Downing Street later said these powers did not apply and could only be used on “rare occasions” when the force could not operate effectively.

Nandy said the risk assessment in the Aston Villa case was “largely based on the risks to those fans who come to support Maccabi Tel Aviv because they are Israeli and because they are Jewish.”

“Now, we should be horrified by this and not allow it to remain as it is,” she added.

But Ayub Khan, whose Birmingham constituency includes Perry Parr’s Villa Park, claimed there was a “deliberately disingenuous move by many to make it about banning Jews”.