A senior official from Maccabi Tel Aviv[1] believes the spectre of antisemitism may have influenced the decision to stop the Israeli club’s fans attending a football match on British soil.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer[2] has criticised the decision of West Midlands Police, who have requested no away supporters at Aston Villa[3]‘s Europa League[4] tie with the Israeli side in Birmingham on November 6 amid ‘a number of physical and safety factors’.
And on Friday Downing Street[5] said discussions are happening ‘at pace, across Government’. Culture Secretary[6] Lisa Nandy is meeting officials, according to a No10 spokesman, ‘to discuss what more can be done to try to find a way through to resolve this, and what more can be done to allow fans to attend the game safely.’
He added: ‘You can expect to hear further updates today. I won’t pre-empt the conversations, but these are happening at pace, across Government, with all the relevant groups to find a way to resolve this.’
In UEFA club competitions, away fans are allocated five per cent of the capacity – which would mean Maccabi should have received just over 2,100 tickets at 42,640-seat Villa Park.
The move has angered the Jewish community and Maccabi chief executive Jack Angelides said on Friday morning: ‘To be frank, it’s met with some dismay about what this is potentially signalling.
‘We understand the reasons that have been put to us, which is to do with the feeling that the authorities will be unable to adequately protect our fans, who would be attending the match.
‘I try to avoid going into politics and talk about how other countries should behave, but I do think this is an extremely important moment because of what it signifies. I don’t use this term lightly, but people ask what antisemitism looks like?
Maccabi fans will be barred from attending the Europa League fixture in November
West Midlands Police is classing the match at Villa Park as a ‘high risk’ fixture
‘Small events, leading up to something that is more sinister. We do have British, Maccabi Tel Aviv fans who are Jewish and they are being told it is not safe in their own country to watch a football match,’ he told BBC[7] Radio 4.
In a post on X, Starmer said: ‘This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets. The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.’
West Midlands Police confirmed in its own statement that the decision was made based on ‘previous incidents’, namely when Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were targets of antisemitic attacks during the club’s Europa League match against Ajax in Amsterdam last year.
An astonishing 68 people were arrested after attacks were made on Israeli football supporters, prompting Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof to label the assaults ‘shocking and reprehensible’.
West Midlands Police has also confirmed the match at Villa Park is being classified a ‘high risk’ after a lengthy assessment.
Angelides added: ‘Communication has been made to UEFA about the decision or recommendation, I’m not sure what it is.
‘Villa relayed the position of the police. I can’t say that they have taken a position. We have had excellent co-operation with them. They have been keeping us up to date with the decision of the authorities.’
Maccabi Tel Aviv chief executive Jack Angelides says the call was greeted with ‘dismay’
A UEFA statement read: ‘UEFA wants fans to be able to travel and support their team in a safe, secure and welcoming environment.
‘UEFA encourages both teams and the competent authorities to agree on the implementation of appropriate measures necessary to allow this to happen.
‘The competent local authorities remain responsible for decisions related to the safety and security of matches taking place on their territory, such decisions being determined on the basis of thorough risk assessments which vary from match to match and take into consideration previous circumstances.’
References
- ^ Tel Aviv (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Keir Starmer (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Aston Villa (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Europa League (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Downing Street (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Culture Secretary (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ BBC (www.dailymail.co.uk)