Aston Villa reportedly informed matchday stewards that they could miss the club's Europa League fixture against Maccabi Tel Aviv, citing potential safety concerns. The decision came before West Midlands Police banned Maccabi fans from attending, citing the force's inability to police the match safely after violent clashes in Amsterdam in 2024.
West Midlands Police classified the fixture as "high risk" based on intelligence, highlighting the disorder during a 2024 match between Ajax and Maccabi in Amsterdam. That event saw more than 60 arrests and was described as a "toxic combination of antisemitism, hooliganism, and anger," with Maccabi fans involved in burning a Palestinian flag and chanting anti-Palestinian slogans.
The Home Office has offered extra support to West Midlands Police in an effort to reverse the ban, with a meeting of Birmingham's safety advisory group scheduled for next week. Meanwhile, the Campaign Against Antisemitism has threatened judicial review, calling the ban "pernicious," while Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the decision as "wrong."
In an email reportedly sent on 3 October, stewards were told they could submit a one-off absence request without affecting their contractual minimum attendance of 80%. The move followed concerns raised by some stewards about working on the day of the match, scheduled for 6 November.
Aston Villa stated that the club is in continuous dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and local authorities, with supporter safety at the forefront. UEFA has urged local authorities to allow Maccabi fans to travel to the match, while local MP Ayoub Khan argued against conflating the issue with antisemitism.
