Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters will be blocked from buying tickets for next month’s Europa Conference League[1] clash with Aston Villa, the club has confirmed.
In a lengthy statement, the Israeli[2] club said it could no longer guarantee the safety of its supporters, citing the ‘intervention of divisive figures’, ‘hate-filled falsehoods’ and ‘inflammatory rhetoric’ surrounding the game.
The fixture, set for November 6 at Villa Park, has already been mired in controversy after Birmingham[3]‘s Safety Advisory Group – backed by West Midlands Police – made the decision to bar all away supporters, citing ‘intelligence and previous incidents’.
Police pointed to violent clashes and hate crime[4] offences during last year’s Europa League[5] tie between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam – scenes that saw five people hospitalised and 62 arrested.
But the move triggered outrage across the political spectrum including from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer[6] who blasted the ruling as the ‘wrong decision’, insisting: ‘We will not tolerate anti-Semitism on our streets.’
Just hours before Maccabi’s announcement, Culture Secretary[7] Lisa Nandy vowed the Government would ‘find the resources’ to allow ‘all fans’ to attend, raising hopes the ban could be overturned.
However, the club said it had been left with no choice but to pull out of the away allocation, warning of a ‘toxic atmosphere’ fuelled by falsehoods and dangerous rhetoric.
In their statement tonight, Maccabi claimed ‘various entrenched group’ had sought to exploit isolated incidents ‘for their own social and political ends’ and reiterated that most of its fans ‘have no truck with racism or hooliganism of any kind’.
Fans of Israeli club Maccabi have been banned from watching their team at Aston Villa next month
Fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv pictured ahead of their UEFA Europa League match against Ajax in Amsterdam last year
‘Our fans regularly travel all over Europe without incident and to suggest that the reason our fans cannot be allowed to travel is due to their behavior is an attempt to distort reality and to excuse the real underlying reasons for the decision to ban our fans. Our fans, the Jewish community know all too well this tactic and all are too familiar with where it can lead,’ the statement read.
‘We are also concerned about the intervention of divisive figures who do not represent the values of our Club. We condemn all abhorrent views that have no place in football.
‘As a result of the hate-filled falsehoods, a toxic atmosphere has been created which makes the safety of our fans wishing to attend very much in doubt. Inflammatory rhetoric, trafficking in half-truths is never healthy, but in this particular case the remarks being generated are of the most concerning variety.
‘Not for Maccabi Tel Aviv or football, but for the sake of society and its underlying values, maybe the agendas involved here should be looked at more closely.
‘The wellbeing and safety of our fans is paramount and from hard lessons learned, we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans and our decision should be understood in that context.
‘We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.’
The statement was released by the Israeli club hours after Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy branded Ayoub Khan, the Birmingham MP who has led efforts to halt the match, as ‘entirely disingenuous’ in a heated House of Commons exchange.
She also promised the Government would find the resources needed to ensure fans of the Israeli[8] club can attend their upcoming Europa League[9] game in Britain.
Ayoub Khan (pictured), the independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr who has led efforts to halt Maccabi Tel Aviv’s match against Aston Villa
The Prime Minister took to social media to condemn the decision on Thursday night
Mr Khan, an ally of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, last month launched a petition over the upcoming match.[10][11]
The petition called for the game to be cancelled entirely, relocated to a ‘neutral third country’, or to be held behind closed doors.
It stated the game is ‘not a normal football match’ due to the ‘ongoing genocide in Gaza’, while also expressing fears about a ‘track record of violence’ by Maccabi fans.
‘Their arrival in Aston – a diverse and predominantly Muslim community – poses a real risk of tensions within the community and disorder,’ added the petition, which was also signed by Mr Corbyn.
Mr Khan later celebrated the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the game as he thanked all those who had backed the petition.
The Government is pressuring West Midlands Police to overturn the decision to ban supporters of the Israeli club from the match amid a widespread outcry.
Ms Nandy told MPs on Monday that the Government was continuing to work with West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council ‘to support them to consider all the options available, and to tell us what resources are needed to manage the risks, to ensure fans from both teams can attend safely’.
‘If the assessment is revised, the safety advisory group will meet again to discuss options,’ the Culture Secretary added.
‘It is not for the Government to assess the risks surrounding this football match.
‘But we are clear that resources will not be the determining factor in whether Maccabi Tel Aviv fans can be admitted, and that this fundamental principle that nobody in our country will be excluded from participating in public life because of who they are must be upheld.’
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has branded it the ‘wrong decision’, adding: ‘We will not tolerate anti-Semitism on our streets.’
References
- ^ Europa Conference League (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Israeli (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Birmingham (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ crime (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Europa League (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Keir Starmer (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Culture Secretary (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Israeli (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Europa League (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Jeremy Corbyn (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ petition (actionnetwork.org)