West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford has apologised to Birmingham's Jewish community after a senior officer told MPs that some Jewish representatives supported the exclusion of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a recent match. The controversy erupted following the decision to ban supporters of the Israeli team from the Europa League game against Aston Villa at Villa Park on 6 November.
Assistant Chief Constable Mike O'Hara made the claim during a Home Affairs Select Committee hearing on Monday, stating that some Jewish representatives had expressed they did not want Maccabi fans to attend the match. The ban had previously drawn criticism from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said he was 'angered by the decision'.
A West Midlands Police spokesperson said on Saturday: 'We recognise that this has been a difficult time for our local Jewish community... it was never the intention of the officer to imply that there were members of the Jewish community who had explicitly expressed support for the exclusion of Maccabi fans.' The Sunday Times reported that O'Hara has since written to Jewish representatives to apologise.
The ban was based on police intelligence citing violent clashes and hate crime offences during a 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam. However, Dutch police have disputed the accuracy of this information. The Israeli embassy in London described the use of 'disproven allegations' as 'profoundly misleading' and risked inflaming tensions.
West Midlands Police stated they provided a full explanation to MPs and will continue to engage with the Home Affairs Select Committee and His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary & Fire and Rescue Services.
