The Villa Safety Advisory Group (a multi-agency body chaired Birmingham) is a multi-agency advisory group that advises on villa safety. City The council met behind closed-doors and recommended again that Maccabi Tel Aviv’s fans be banned. Birmingham’s safety advisory group oversees The Villa Safety Advisory Group. City Council, held a private meeting amidst accusations that the initial ban was rooted in ‘antisemitism’.Prominent figures including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and Jewish community leaders have all criticised the decision and called for a review. The UK Policing Unit defended both the police and safety advisory group. They suggested that if government wanted to interfere in football policing, they should change the laws. The Home Office pledged that it would provide ‘any resource needed’ for West Midlands Police in order to ensure Israeli supporters can attend the match safely. This follows high-level discussions with local, national and community leaders. A spokesperson from the council confirmed that a multi agency Safety Advisory Group had met today to assess any potential public safety implications relating to Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv.”Partners agree with the Police assessment of the match being high risk. The SAG recommended options to reduce risks and support public safety, such as not having away fans attend.”This advice was communicated by the SAG to Aston Villa FC. Birmingham is a multicultural city, and we welcome all people of all religions and backgrounds. We take our responsibility to ensure the safety of both city and citizens very seriously.”But the Board of Deputies of British Jews doesn’t agree with this decision. Phil Rosenberg, board president, issued a statement saying: “The ridiculous ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending their team’s match against Aston Villa could give the impression that there is racism in the UK. ‘no-go’ Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters will not attend Villa Park (Image: AP). “We wanted to give Aston Villa, the West Midlands Police the chance to disprove the harmful notion that this is a zone. ‘no-go’ Zones by exploring the possibilities of them allocating tickets to our local community and demonstrating this could be done safely. They have all collectively misplaced the pass. While the police seemed to be willing to make this happen, Aston Villa ran down the clock, perhaps hoping this would go away.”Rosenberg added: “The idea that Villa Park, Birmingham, the West Midlands, or any part of our country should be inhospitable to people because of their religion or nationality must be totally unacceptable, particularly following the Islamist terror attack on our community at Heaton Park just a few weeks ago.The Prime Minister had branded the decision to prevent fans from attending “wrong”, stating “we will ‘not tolerate antisemitism on our streets.West Midlands Chief constable Craig Guildford said that he had read the intelligence and assessment of the situation. It is based upon professional judgement.The decision was based on professional judgement. West Midlands police officers recommended to the safety advisory group, based primarily on European police information, that the best course of action was to ban away fans. Dutch police reported to their British counterparts how Maccabi fan’s had rioted in Amsterdam at a match last season by making provocative chants, and attacking Muslims randomly. The Dutch police responded with a massive force of 5,000 officers, over three days. This was necessary to quell the unrest. They also report that the potential of further protests in and around the stadium was taken into consideration. Intelligence reports indicate there is a high probability of pro-Palestine, anti-hate and pro-Israel protests. There may even be Tommy Robinson or his supporters. These protests are likely to continue despite the ban. Football content. Our partners and we also offer our members special promotions, offers and ads. If you don’t want to be part of our community you can opt out at any time. Sky Sports discounted Premier League & EFL packageThis post contains affiliate links. We will receive a small commission for any sales generated. Learn more£43£35SkyGet the deal hereSky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
2025-10-31 19:00:28
New decision on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending Aston Villa match as statement released
